Driver Drive Faster

Driver Drive Faster

Driver Drive Faster are a British group from Manchester, active since 2009. The band forms around singer and guitarist Dylan Giles, bassist Yuri Caul, drummer David Schlechtriemen and Peet Earnshaw.

Formation and members

Dylan Giles and Yuri Caul meet at school in Torquay, Devon. Peet Earnshaw joins later after meeting them at an open mic night in Withington, South Manchester. David Schlechtriemen is recruited through a friend, and the line-up settles as a four-piece. Giles says the band form in Manchester and records with members living together in shared accommodation.

Recording and releases

The band’s debut album is Open House, recorded in the house where the group live. Work on it begins in late 2009, continues through 2010 and is set for release in 2011. The album is self-funded through day jobs and undergoes around nine months of editing, overdubbing, mixing and fine-tuning.

Before the album, the single It’s All Over It’s Everywhere is released in May. Giles describes it as a harmony-led pop song about gossip, private lives and intrigue.

Style and influences

Their sound is described as sitting between Americana and spectral indie rock, with layered arrangements, strong chord progressions and quiet moments of fragility. Giles says the band prefer variation within records, moving between fast and slow, happy and sad, serious and less serious. The comparison is made to Mercury Rev’s Deserter’s Songs for a new generation.

Live work and recognition

In its early period, the band supports The Aliens, The Phantom Band, Darwin Deez and Japandroids. It also records live sessions for BBC Radio 6 Music presenter Marc Riley and receives airplay on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2. Festival appearances include Green Man, Beacons, FOM Fest and Sounds From The Other City.

Name

The name Driver Drive Faster comes from the opening line of WH Auden’s poem Calypso, where the speaker is running late to meet a lover.