POST-BURNOUT
Beginning in Cork City from a bored secondary school student, The Drive. has become one of the Rebel County’s fastest-growing acts. Initially starting as an indie rock project in 2018, the band’s vocalist, guitarist, and founder, Eoin Murphy, believes that it wasn’t until after he began listening to artists like Sonic Youth, Hüsker Dü, and My Bloody Valentine and taking inspiration from their blends of harshness and melody that it became the iteration that everybody now loves.
“It’s definitely two iterations,” Eoin tells Post-Burnout. “Before COVID, fifteen-year-old me was definitely going for indie-pop. Like, loving The Academic, and all that. COVID really made me go deep diving into music and various styles.”
During the pandemic, the fledgling band were obviously halted, but, retrospectively, it may have been a blessing, as it gave the young members a chance to reintroduce themselves with a style that more suited what they were now into, which primarily blends shoegaze with grunge.
“It was really 2022/2023 that we really started finding our sound and finding our footing in the Irish music scene,” Eoin says. “2023 was probably the big year for us, where we had the line-up we have now.
“The drummer, Alex [Redmond Galligan], I would’ve met him in 2020, releasing ‘Mossbawn’ and stuff. Aaron [Kenny], the guitarist, and Matty [O’Reilly], the bassist, would’ve joined in 2023. So, we kind of had a couple of member change-ups throughout the years, and that’s when we were like, ‘This is locked down, here.’ We had a great vibe and energy all together, with the four of us.”
Through consistent writing, recording, performing, and touring, The Drive. have garnered a dedicated fanbase across Ireland and the UK, which has allowed them to consistently headline around the Isles.
Their popularity intersects with the boom that Cork’s music has enjoyed recently, as, even within the short lifespan of his band thus far, Eoin has noticed how quickly the scene has grown.
“It’s crazy, because I remember starting, and I was friends with Iona [Lynch] from Cliffords,” reflects Eoin. “At the time, they were a brand new band, as well, and we were playing in local pubs and garages and stuff.
“After COVID, I was doing a little stunt in UCC, so we were doing the Battle of the Bands, and Cliffords came back for that. They hadn’t done anything for a couple of months, and they came together for the show. We did it together. I think Pebbledash was there, as well.
“But, it’s crazy, going back three years ago, especially Cliffords seeing them then to now, and it’s been brilliant. I love everyone that’s part of that band, and I had a great time, and I’m so proud that they have the opportunity to play all over the world and get their music out there, and it’s beautiful to see Cork get that spotlight shown on us, again.”
And Eoin sees the popularity of the city’s artists creating new spaces for those they influenced to begin. “I remember starting off, and only up until maybe a couple of years ago, I would’ve been frustrated with the lack of venues in Cork,” he admits.
“For a long time, it was like, ‘OK, we’ll play our local YMCA, then we’ll play Fred [Zeppelin’s].’ After Fred’s, it’s ‘Oh, here’s Cyprus Avenue. Here’s 400 people. Try to sell that out.’ Then, after Cyprus Avenue, you can’t necessarily jump straight to the City Hall or the Opera House.
“So, for a while, it was kind of like, ‘OK, let’s go to Dublin,’ and we kind of focused on playing shows there. But, again, after COVID, in the last couple of years, the Kino started getting back up and running, and Dali, which I think is only open a year now. And I think it’s brilliant that they’re there, now, because, when we were starting off, to have those venues would’ve been so much nicer.”
Despite the band’s success (which Eoin admits that, despite a consistent uptick, has had its peaks and valleys), the members of The Drive. are not yet in a position to quit their jobs and commit to it full-time.
“Last year, in particular, was a tough year for us,” Eoin says. “I was working a full-time sales job. Aaron was a full-time jobs manager. Alex was doing his master’s. Matty was working full-time. So, we were all kind of on the trot constantly.
“This year is a small bit different. I decided to go back to college, go back to education. Again, five days a week. Aaron and Matty are still working full-time, and Alex has gone into a really big graduate programme.
“So, it’s always been tough, not only for music, but to even have that work/life balance. But, the four of us, we’re all so dedicated to this. We love it. Since we started the band, music has always been our greatest outlet of expression. Any chance that we have to rehearse together, or play songs, or write together, we’ll do that.”
Regardless of how popular The Drive. get, they will never lose touch with their Corkonian routes, which continue to influence their writing, as exemplified on their most recent single, “nothing crossed.”
“It’s definitely one of those ones, where it’s more darker, more heavier, more melancholic song, so it doesn’t appeal as much to the masses as [their song prior] ‘shelley.’ might have done,” Eoin says of “nothing crossed.”
“But, to us, it’s a very important song, and it’s a song we all love in the band, and we’re all proud it’s out there and people can listen to it, and the response we’ve gotten out of it so far has been brilliant.
“It’s one of those songs that…like, I love taking colloquial sayings, like, ‘lies.’ is ‘Oh, ask me a question, and I’ll tell you no lies!’ That’s how that one came about, so ‘nothing cross.’ was a similar thing. I’m not sure if it’s an Irish thing, or just a Cork or even predominantly a northside of Cork thing. It literally gets subregional!
“I remember being in primary school, and ‘Oh, nothing crossed, nothing comes, even funny words included, even if I say them in the back of my mouth!’ That’s always stuck with me! Even in my teens, in secondary school, ‘Oh, give it a bash. Oh, nothing crossed! I’ll give it back to ya!’, and had the fingers crossed behind your back. It’s always been instilled in my mind!
We wrap the interview by asking Eoin if The Drive. have plans for their debut album. “At the start of the year, we had an album planned, we had the songs written for it,” he responds. “Like, for us, The Drive.’s first album can be written and recorded tomorrow if we needed it.
“It’s kind of something that we’re sitting on. It’s something that we’re toying with. But, as for now, we want to see the way the waters are, test the waters primarily with these shows, because, in this day and age, you don’t want to release something into the void. That’s a massive fear of mine.
“I want to release something that people will hear and people will be able to judge whether they like it or not, as opposed to just being completely forgotten about in the trail, like Sugar Man.”
The Drive.’s latest single, “nothing crossed.”, is out now. You can keep up with the band through their Linktree.
You can see The Drive. at:
23 October – Belfast – The Deer’s Head
24 October – Dublin – The Academy 2
6 November – Galway – Róisín Dubh
8 November – Limerick – Kasbah
Tune into POSTBURNOUT.COM Interviews… tonight at 22:00 (IST) to hear this interview in full. Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music Podcasts.
Aaron Kavanagh is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Post-Burnout. His writing can also be found in the Irish Daily Star, Buzz.ie, Totally Dublin, The GOO, Headstuff, New Noise Magazine, XS Noize, DSCVRD and more.