Drivel

Reviews

Drivel Pledge Allegiance to the Bomb EP

DRIVEL’s new EP is a feral blast of hardcore that channels the whiplash tempo shifts and noisy sample chaos of early 2000s Bay Area powerviolence while injecting a strain of murky and chaotic lo-fi grunge. Featuring members of PILAU and CHILL PARENTS with a guest appearance by Richard Johnson (ENEMY SOIL, AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED, DRUGS OF FAITH), the record balances relentless aggression with moments that are almost darkly funny. The production is raw but intentional, everything lands exactly where it should. It’s the kind of recording that reminds you how creative this genre can be when bands let themselves sound unhinged.

Drivel Drivel cassette

DRIVEL, hailing from Washington, DC, describes themselves as “noisy rock shit.” That’s certainly one way to describe it! It’s going for a blasting powerviolence thing, and they certainly do it well. I wouldn’t necessarily say that it’s anything to write home about, but it’s an enjoyable listen for anyone into the more blasty side of punk music.

Drivel A Gracious Favor From Our Creator cassette

Samples! This is enough to get a powerviolence enthusiast excited! Powerviolence and samples go together like peanut butter and jelly. They are used to set an atmosphere and “say” what can’t be said in the songs. This helps to paint a visual picture, in this case, of decadence. DRIVEL is a raw powerviolence project that follows the guidebook written by NO COMMENT, adding a bit of the MAN IS THE BASTARD weirdness, with characteristic super slow and super fast dynamics. It is not overproduced, which is something that is great for old school powerviolence enjoyers, as modern bands tend to homogenize productions so it all sounds the same.