Drife – Leave It All Behind (2020)
In 2017 six people from neighbouring towns in Northern Luxembourg decided to get together, play some instruments, and perform some cover songs. Little did we know that in 2018 these six people would form the alternative-rock band Drife. Influenced by notable British bands, such as The Charlatans, Oasis and The Verve, Jeff Petry (vocals and guitar), Patrice Petry (backing vocals, guitar and percussion), Michel Schumann (bass), Bruno Venâncio (lead guitar), Lex Schaul (drums) and David Li (violin) began producing alt-rock tracks with an indie-rock undertone. The latest release from this band is ‘Leave It All Behind’.
‘Leave It All Behind’ is a track inspired by a film about a boy not being accepted by his friends and schoolmates for his sexuality. Eventually, the boy commits suicide because he could not handle the rejection and torment. Lyrically, ‘Leave It All Behind’ explores the issue of sexual stereotypes and builds an argument for self-acceptance as a means of coping. Melodically, the track expresses compassion and tenderness for the listener. A blogger for FindASongBlog described Drife’s live performance as making him feel “nostalgic and going back to the 90s when he grew up”; Drife seems to have carried the essence of sentimentality through to this selfless single.
Reminiscent of The Verve, Jeff Petry’s vocals are constant, but also demonstrate a complex change in pitch throughout the track. The unique progression creates a more textured and layered sound. This is not to say the instrumentation is lacking compared to the vocals. In fact, it is the harmonising between vocals and instruments that result in an impassioned track.
When listening to ‘Leave It All Behind’ I imagine it to be a perfect soundtrack for those self-empowerment music videos. The ones like Christina Aguilera’s ‘Beautiful’ where people show their insecurities and metaphorical scars to be followed by smiling, empowered faces. The world is plagued by negative stereotypes causing mental harm to individuals across the globe. The message Drife aims to get across in ‘Leave It All Behind’ is to leave all judgement behind and embrace your uniqueness as a human. There are numerous songs with this message, but Drife stands out among the rest.
Find out more about Drife on their Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Spotify.
