Interview with The Drift: ‘I wrote ‘Downfall’ about people on social media’

Birmingham-based rock ‘n’ roll band The Drift will release their second single, ‘Downfall’, on the 28th November, a belting, rifftastic number about the pitfalls of social media.

The band comprises Matt Brooks (vocals and guitar), Luke Forde (drums), Tyler Reynolds (guitar) and Frank Ruane (bass). Brooks and Forde played together in a former band and Reynolds and Ruane are old school friends. They took their name from a poster they saw at their local music club The Grey Lantern in Birmingham, where they rehearse and record, although they have sometimes been confused with the German techno band of the same name, Brooks said.

‘I wrote ‘Downfall’ about people on social media,’ he said. ‘You know, people who have never met each other, everyone’s under scrutiny, social media has its positives but it can be a nightmare for some people.’

The chorus highlights that: ‘Is this the downfall of our lives, we’re only people after all. Is this the downfall of our lives, we’re all chasing stars that’ll never save us.’

‘Downfall’ was written during the first lockdown in the UK, although Brooks says bits of the song ‘had been knocking about for a while’: ‘When I write my tunes, I’m sat on my bed and turn out a riff. I hate writing lyrics, I over analyse them. I write them down and sometimes think they’re well naff!,’ he laughed.

They released their insanely catchy debut single ‘Going Up’ last month. ‘The riff had been knocking about from my previous band. During the first lockdown, I played the riff again. When I met up with the lads, we wrote the lyrics.’

Brooks describes the song as being about ‘what lads go through as teenagers’: ‘Getting over girls, previous girls, trying to crack on with your life,’ he said.

That’s apparent from the lyrics: ‘You give me fever when you walk on by, why are you so cold? You got me shakin’ like a dog if the truth be told, you’re a habit that I just can’t kick. Let’s put a belt around my arm again and make me sick ’cause I’m a sucker for a road with an end, you know its gonna break me.’

After ‘Downfall’, they will release ‘Do You Feel Alive’, which is slower, according to Brooks, albeit with ‘a big singalong chorus’. ‘I had it for ages and never got it together with the band. It will probably come out before Christmas. We’ve got another one, ‘Lockdown City’, which is more poppy, catchy, it could be a good B-side.’

He’s a big fan of local band Flake, with whom he went to school. ‘They’re similar to us, bluesy rock ‘n’ roll.’ He cites The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Oasis – ‘I’m obsessed with them’ – , Kasabian and The Who as some of his biggest influences. Of all the gigs he’s been to, there have been three stand out ones, The Stone Roses, Liam Gallagher at Finsbury Park and The Rolling Stones. I tell him that I still haven’t seen The Rolling Stones live but would love to. ‘If they play next year, just do it,’ he said. ‘We don’t know how much longer they’ll play for. They were on for about two hours. I don’t know how they do it, I’m knackered after an hour!’

(Photo from left to right: Luke, Tyler, Frank and Matt)