October Drift – I Don’t Belong Anywhere – album review.

October Drift have released their second album I Don’t Belong Anywhere ahead of their current 12 day UK tour. The band from Somerset, in south-west England formed in 2015 with members Kiran Roy, Daniel Young, Alex Bipsham and Chris Holmes. They released their first single in 2018 titled, Come and Find Me and that very same year went on their very first European tour, their previous album Forever Whatever was released in 2020, and connected with their audience in such a low time.

The band takes inspiration from 90s grunge, and catchy depressing vocals inspired by the band Joy Division. And their second studio album has no different of a feeling, the 10 track album features a mix of emotions and sounds. Straight away with the first single Airborne Panic Attack you’re blessed with some hard rock, but mixed with some lyrics that could really connect you with your soul.

Waltzer straight away feels as if I’ve been thrown into a mid-2000s sitcom, it’s catchy and loveable. You might find this on a montage for a British sitcom, with its gorgeous guitar and increasing tempos. You would hear this song everywhere for the rest of your life and probably not get sick of it, that can be up for debate. I can already see members of the crowd, stood watching this song live with their arms around their friends shoulders swaying from side to side, belting out every lyric.

They have that early 90s grunge element, but also early 2000s indie merged together with the third track on the album Insects, straight away you can hear from the bass the deep 90s influence, instantly I’m getting thrown back in time to slow Nirvana tracks. The deep and low depressing vocals, sounding like each lyric is being sung by someone who honestly just needs to get every emotion out but the amount of energy they’ve put in already has drained them. Something I think a lot of us, including myself, could probably relate to.

Lost Without You throws you into some more energy, its light but its heart lifting. The riffs at the start bring you in with a happy emotion, naturally based on the song title the lyrics don’t match the vibe from the rest of the band. But who hasn’t been smiling whilst everything on the inside is falling to pieces. It’s the true embodiment of what a break up feels like, when every ounce of realization hits you, and you learn to accept what’s happened. The happiness comes flooding back slowly, you have the negative energy but you’re learning to smile and accept the feelings that you’re experiencing. It’s a feeling myself and many of you reading this have probably experienced in the past. A way to compare this is, if Paramore went light grunge. The sweet solos coming from guitarist Daniel Young are just beautiful, it’s like a sweet high note in the background that just pops itself out and into your soul.

There isn’t one sound definition that I could put this album in, and that’s not a negative feature. Its kind of refreshing, you can have the same feeling throughout each track but at the same time can have a different vibe. This album is the best way of explaining normal human emotions, just close your eyes and lay back to this album and you’ll see what I mean, its relaxing and It can bring a smile to your face.

I can’t get enough of the background guitar solos from some of these tracks, especially Bleed with the light backing vocals giving an air flowing emotion, if you’ve ever listened to a song thats just made you close your eyes and sway from side to side in a state of euphoria, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

The pace picks up towards the end of Bleed and the solo is brought forwards but with deeper tones, different to the higher solos I heard earlier on in the song and on the previous tracks. It brings a satisfying end to a light hearted track, brings you up to calm you down. If you love guitar solos you know how much they can calm you right down.

Track number 6, Webcam Funerals even the title can send you back to two years ago when our worlds came crashing down and phones became the only way we could all see each other. The pain and frustration in this song is true, going through insanely tough times and having to deal with it all without people actually being physically with you, and the annoyance of it, and how It might have been over a year of our lives but we can, as they’ve said “Never get used to Webcam Funerals”. It’s soft, the vocals are strong and powerful with a tempo increasing bass and guitar, before taking over the song. This album really makes you want to do a lot of thinking but barely any thinking at all.

Remember when we were teenagers and we used to listen to emo bands because we felt a connection to them, we felt like finally someone understands what we’re going through. And as we got older some of us might have changed from that lifestyle. If you want something softer but you want that same feeling of knowing others completely get what you’re feeling because they’re going through the exact same shit, the same mental thoughts on a daily basis, I would recommend this album. I’m a girl who still listens to those bands she listened to as a teenager, but getting a change of sound and hearing these lyrics especially ones from track 8, Parasite I feel that same feeling, that of recognition and no longer feeling alone with everything that I have ever experienced. The lyrics with Parasite, hit deep and hard; they’re meaningful and true. October Drift have written lyrics that connect with people in the perfect way, the way each lyric travels out is the way it feels inside of all our heads.

Ever After starts with this sinking feeling in your heart and gut, it travels through you’re being punched with a reality. When you realize everything that has been going on in your life, it’s a song that would fit perfectly in a depressed character’s story arc from a book or a life changing tv show. Everything is at the same pace as the previous tracks, but the guitar is deeper, the drums feel darker and more intense, the bass is lower and as the track comes to a close the entirety merges together like a deep scream as it all fades out.

But don’t worry because track 9 is the ultimate happy pick me up, a happy euphoria of happiness and feeling complete and not alone, and finally being home. That’s exactly what Feels Like I’m Home is like, the tempo has picked up and the lyrics seem cleaner like everyone has taken a breath of fresh air and all of a sudden I can imagine a smile being on vocalist Kieran Roy’s face throughout this song. The guitar is sharp, it’s happy, it’s upbeat, it’s got life inside it and it’s spreading a level of happy energy that everyone could need, a song that makes you feel like you’re home with them.

I’m sorry guys but get ready to cry towards the end, it’s slow, it’s deep and it’s downright sad. The realization that you’re just an Old and Distant Memory and feeling like you’re not good enough and that you can never get it right just hits so much in the soul. It’s a slow electric guitar throughout, no drums, no bass, just vocals and a guitar. If you took Mayday Parade’s – Miserable at Best and made it a guitar and added an indie folk tune to it, that’s the kind of feeling you’re getting with this ending track. Meaning it’s going to make you cry your eyes out for a good while, and it will probably get added to your “Sad Playlist” that we all secretly have when we want a good cry. The tempo picks up but that just makes the waterworks come on stronger, the lyrics are heart hitting they’re meaningful and you can connect to them on such an emotional level. So if you’re going to one of their shows coming up, and you see a single guitar and just Kieran prep yourself for the tears.

I want to try and give a negative to this album, and the only thing I can say is that it is negative. But then again we all need songs like this, we can’t ignore these emotions we need to embrace them and sometimes albums like these are exactly what we need. And it’s a negative that’s also a positive, the music was incredible and this isn’t the music that I tend to throw myself towards, but as someone who likes sad songs and has a sad playlist on their phone.

I Don’t Belong Anywhere is a beautiful album, every track unleashes an emotion you didn’t know you were feeling. It brings you into a reality you might have avoided. But oh my goddess bring your tissues to their shows.

October Drift – I Don’t Belong Anywhere – Track List