Interview: Matt McAndrew of Rain City Drive Talks Inspiration for Album Release, Upcoming Tours and Dream Artist Collaboration
Photo courtesy of @del_photos on Instagram
Five-piece Floridian rock band, Rain City Drive, is taking the contemporary music scene by storm. With their upcoming album, Things Are Different Now, just weeks away from release, frontman and vocalist Matt McAndrew, Zoomed in to talk inspiration and production on the release, upcoming tours and dream artist collaboration.
Seamlessly turning upbeat and pop centered motifs into rock anthems with poignant lyrics, heavy vocals and infectious melodies, the bands’ upcoming record has been greeted with nothing but anticipation from fans. Teasing their full-length album, Things Are Different Now, dropping Sept. 27, with single releases, Rain City Drive shows listeners that their sound is more locked-in than ever. Their strong roots in post-hardcore with their vibrant take on alternative rock n’ roll are effectively showcased as bridging the musical gaps between heavy and impassioned pop.
Aspiring to push musical bounds on this record, Matt delved into details behind the track “Over Me,” as featured on the album. Matt said, “‘Over Me’ was the track [where] I thought it'd be cool to do something that had a hydraulic type of tempo…Then lyrically, it's the only song on the record that's about a past relationship I was in, and just kind of the closing of that chapter. It was the first song that I started writing for this whole album.”
Subsequently, “Concrete Closure,” as the last single release before their upcoming record drops, was released on Sept. 6. With its catchy guitar riffs and dance-y/electronic beat, this track
is one of the more upbeat and alluring recordings. According to Matt, “Concrete Closure aims to capture the frustration of ending a relationship with someone who, under the pretense of seeking closure, is merely trying to prolong the breakup and find a way back into your life. Even when it’s clear that the chapter needs to be closed for good.”
Rain City Drives’ ability to effortlessly blend heavier aspects of hardcore, with digestible lyrics powerfully resonating with their pop-based audience, while also remaining sonically progressive, is another testament to their cohesion as a band and modern day status as “a band you need to hear.”
Working tirelessly to perfect the upcoming album, Matt conveyed the production went rather seamlessly. Working on lyrical content prior to studio takes, gave ultimate creative freedom to make changes and focus on perfecting performance. With Things Are Different Now, Matt exclaimed, “Every time you create something, you get to reference yourself, as well as move forward…I think you hope that each album finds a little bit of new success or reaches a different audience than the last one had.”
With influences like early Bring Me The Horizon and A Day To Remember, RCD aims to become a new reference in rock music. Acknowledging general musical influences, Matt shared, “I would absolutely like to work with Dayseeker again. I feel like the track we did was just great and just super easy. I would definitely say Bring Me The Horizon as well.”
With this upcoming record expected to be successful for the band, RCD is hitting the road for their first headlining tour this fall. The band will play multiple sold-out dates in North America with Belmont and Until I Wake, followed by an EU/UK run with Dayseeker this November/December. Anticipating the upcoming dates Matt said, “I just hope that it sells well and everybody is happy. It’ll be fun to do a longer set of a lot of newer materials.”
Stay alert for ticket updates, as they are running low. Thank you Matt for your time and remember to stream Things Are Different Now, on all platforms.