DRIVE-IN is an up-and-coming Alternative Pop band from Manchester, New Hampshire. Back in the February of 2018, DRIVE-IN released their THIRD EP titled, Arcade. With their new and refined pop-sound, this band had me melting in the palm of their hands as I listened to the first track of Arcade, “Enough,” all the way through to the final track on the EP, “I Know My Heart.” The production of Arcade in impressive to say the least and it is easy to picture these guys going somewhere in the near future, with their newly iconic aesthetic and musical presence. Lucky for me, I got to chat a little bit with the band about Arcade and their future plans.
1.) I am happy I get to chat and learn a little more about you guys! Let’s get things started by having you guys explain who DRIVE-IN is?
Thank you, we’re happy to be doing this interview! We’re a trio of two brothers: Cam Tessier, Cole Tessier, and a best friend: Lars Ljungholm.
2.) When did you guys form and how long have you been a band?
We’ve been friends for a long time now, and long before we started this band we would spend hours making music together. In the summer of 2016 we started having the idea of creating a band. We had a lot of song ideas and wanted to release them under a band name. It wasn’t until January 2017 that we really started to take it seriously. The more songs we made the more we thought that this could be something that people might latch onto. By the summer of 2017, we had about 18 songs that were finished and ready to be released. We then decided to divide them into singles and EPs and release them one after the other over the next year. Late July of 2017 we released our first song “Oklahoma.”
3.) So, you guys recently released a brand new EP titled, Arcade! Where did you guys record and what was the recording process like for the EP?
Like I said, most of those songs were written months beforehand. Releasing them later allowed us to make sure each song was polished and as easy to listen to as they could be. With Lars being away at school, we each tend to write and record demos separately. Once all three of us were together for Christmas break, we finished recording and producing the EP in my bedroom (Cam’s). All 3 of our EPs were done this way. It’s definitely a challenge being in separate states, but so far we’ve made it work. It’s somewhat a blessing in disguise, because us being apart allows each of us to create in our own space and each bring something unique to the table when it comes time to produce a record.
4.) Collectively, what is your favorite song off of, Arcade? Does your favorite off the EP differ from your favorite to play live? If so, what is your favorite song to play live?
It’s hard to chose which is our favorite, but I would say right now we are really vibing with “Nosedive”. It’s the one song we all three wrote together lyrically. As for playing live, our favorite is “Waves” which is the second track on the EP. We love jammin to it.
5.) What was the writing process like for, Arcade? Were there any songs you guys decided not to follow through with?
When we originally planned out this EP, we had 9 tracks in total. We intended to open the track list with a song called “In The End”, which was basically a glorified intro. We also had an instrumental track titled “The Arcade is Closed”. It’s ironic because we made that instrumental a year prior, and sort of centered the name of the EP around this track, but we ended up cutting it out. We also made a remake of our first song “Oklahoma”. We ultimately cut these songs out since it would have made the record an album and not an EP. We could end up releasing those tracks at some point, but who knows. As for the songs we released. A majority of them started as demos, and once lyrics were written, we’d record them and produce them all together. “Nosedive” was very last minute, however. We had the music written, and all three of us wrote and recorded the lyrics in about 2 hours. This was just 2 weeks before we dropped the EP. We nearly scratched “I Say” but decided to keep working on it. I’m glad we did, it’s one of our favorite songs.
6.) Out of curiosity, how did you guys wind up naming your EP, Arcade? I really love the aesthetic of it and all of the promotion you guys have been doing for the EP so far. It looks great!
Thank you! Our aesthetic is just as important to us as our music. Like I said, we had this instrumental track titled “The Arcade is Closed”. We thought it sounded like something out of TRON. We really vibed with whole arcade aesthetic and thought that the name and the look matched the sound. We wanted to create something that just by looking at the album art and title you could imagine what the music sounded like, even before listening to it. Hopefully we achieved that.
7.) Do you think there will be a DRIVE-IN full-length album one day in the future?
One hundred percent. It may be a little ways down the road, but we have so much music we can’t wait to release. We’re working so hard everyday on new content. When the time’s right, we’ll put it all out for everyone to experience.
8.) If you guys could have anyone in the world be a guest on one of your songs, who would it be and why?
Right now we’ve all been vibin with Post Malone’s new album “b&B”, and he’s just a dope human being as it is, so working with him would be pretty sweet.
9.) What are you hoping for people to get out of listening to, Arcade?
We hope that people walk away feeling nostalgic and inspired. Our goal is to create moments for people that bring them back to happy times.
10.) Would you guys like to give shoutouts to any other bands out there right now?
Huge shout out to Sam Kingston who opened for us at our first show and is an absolute legend, also Saint Slumber from Pennsylvania, and Steppes from Michigan both great bands who we’ve been able to connect with this year. Nick Name is doing some big things in Boston this year, and be on the lookout for Kaleb the Intern from Detroit. I hear he’s working on a new project this summer.
11.) Does DRIVE-IN have any upcoming shows?
Right now we’re scheduled to play the Cloud 9 Club at Hampton Beach, NH. It’s on June 30th at 8 p.m. We’ll have fresh new merch available there as well!
12.) Where can everyone find Arcade?
Apple Music, Spotify, Soundcloud or any other place online where you listen to music.
Be sure to go give DRIVE-IN a LIKE on Facebook and a FOLLOW on Instagram!
Myze Music 