Car vs. Driver Deja Grateful LP reissue
This record came out during the big schism of the mid-’90s when Tim Yo sharpened the focus of the MRR review policy, thus giving way to the launch of large numbers of publications (Shredding Paper, HeartattaCk, Punk Planet, etc.) channeling the areas of the musical underground that were left uncovered. However, I always thought that Deja Grateful should have had a stab at an MRR review—although it fell into the “emo/non-reviewable” category of the time, I’d always felt it had more of the DC-style hardcore/punk melody of other bands that were favored within the pages of MRR. MONSULA, SCHERZO, FUEL, and VINE all come to mind when hearing this again, and clearly CAR VS. DRIVER was impacted by those bands. It was during this splintering that folks started narrowing their focus to emo, pop punk, screamo, etc., all things we are familiar with now but that were new(-ish) at the time. However, there was a big middle ground that bands like CAR VS. DRIVER cruised through, blending decisiveness and melody as well as aggression in a way that was more than parts pushed together or striving for a breakneck pace. When I first heard the record, it may have been the first time I’d listened to kids my age have a sense of total picture in the sequencing of their songs, each one building off the previous one for a rollercoaster of an album. I’m excited for people to have the chance to grab this record without having to dish out big bucks.