WARNER DRIVE – Till The Wheels Fall Off (2017)
How does a Hollywood band end up on a Swedish record label & distribution and then have promotion from a German public relations joint? Modern times. That’s what happens with LA’s WARNER DRIVE and their new record “Till The Wheels Fall Off” released today July 28.
New to them? Me too. But Warner Drive has been around the block in the last ten plus years. They’ve released three albums since 2006, and toured around the world sharing the stage with heavyweight acts like Ratt, Steel Panther, Queen and Twisted Sister, too name a mere few.
The three previous Warner Drive albums have been relatively successful for material done in the DIY-fashion and now they are perhaps looking to take a bigger step forward. “Till The Wheels Fall Off ” is their first album for Sweden’s Dead End Exit Records, and this open doors all over Europe.
With the first spin of “Till The Wheels Fall Off” I was immediately hooked by Warner Drive’s catchy rock sound, exceptional songwriting, and relentless energy.
Suffice to say, the band begins with a classic melodic hard rock foundation, then throws in dash of sleazy punk quickness and a dose of indie energy.
Don’t be scared: melody and harmony are at a premium whether by twin guitars or vocal arrangements. Jonny Law is a terrific vocalist, singing melodic and clean yet with an assertive style. The rhythm section joins the mix, powering the tunes with catchy groove.
But what may be special sauce secret ingredient in this band is the skilled songwriting.
Compositionally, the arrangements weave all those aforementioned elements with masterful ease. Lyrically, the songs are cogent, coherent, clever and, sometimes, down right hilarious.
You’ll get that sleazy punky vibe at the start from ‘My Devotion’ and the funkier ‘Don’t Give Up’. The latter song displays Warner Drive’s knack for storytelling, and the song sounds pretty ’80s.
Another cool story comes with ‘Too Late For Sorry’, kind of a break up song for this dysfunctional age. There’s lots of hooks in the groove, riffs and the killer chorus.
Then Warner Drive goes deeper into the crazy girlfriend motif with ‘Drop Dead Gorgeous’, the faster ‘Karma’s A Bitch’, and the fun ‘LA Pyscho Chic’. You’ve got to dig the band’s tongue-in-chick dark and sarcastic humor.
Yet, they’re saving the best for the end of the CD: ‘Anthem Of The Douche’. This song totally sells this album. It has the all the best parts that makes Warner Drive music: melody and groove, attitude, energy, and terrific humorous storytelling. You have to listen till the end, where the song’s chorus takes unexpected, look in the mirror twist.
Warner Drive’s “Till The Wheels Fall” is a fun, twisted, different melodic hard rock album with a rebellious edge and sense of humor.
They write some cool tunes and with this album they seem to have rounded off all of the rough edges and depending on your point of view and personal tastes, Warner Drive may be the best, or better said, one of the most original band you’ll hear this year.
Strongly Recommended
01 – My Devotion
02 – Don’t Give Up
03 – Drop Dead Gorgeous
04 – The Darkness
05 – Karma’s a Bitch
06 – Too Late for Sorry
07 – La Psycho Chic
08 – Never Gonna Win
09 – Anthem of the Douche
10 – You Make Me Smile
Jonny Law – vocals
Ryan Harris – guitar
Jonny Udell – drums
Candice Levinson – guitar
Elvis James – bass
BUY IT !
warnerdrive.com/product/till-wheels-fall-off/
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