ALBUM REVIEW: October Drift – Blame The Young

’…a demonstration of October Drift truly blossoming into the vital rock act that they have always been destined to be…’

Peel away the mainstream surface of indie and alternative rock, and it won’t be long until you stumble across October Drift. The four-piece have been active since 2014, firstly garnering a word-of-mouth cult following for their utterly incendiary live shows, and then signing to Physical Education records for the release of their fantastic 2020 debut record, ‘Forever Whatever’.

In 2022, the band released their sophomore record ‘I Don’t Belong Anywhere’, which showcased the band pushing their sound in a variety of more expansive directions. The results were mostly positive, but the band struggled to push themselves far enough and nail the sound of a cohesive evolution. That, however, is far from the case on their electrifying third record, ‘Blame The Young’.

Similar to their sophomore effort, ‘Blame The Young‘ sees the band increasingly flirting with a more direct alternative rock style, whilst staying true to their shoegaze and noise-rock roots. However, this record manages to strike the balance perfectly, and feels like a complete realisation of what the band attempted on their previous release. The guitars and drums are thunderous and hypnotic, whereas the vocal melodies soar higher than ever before, and the usage of additional instrumentation such as string passages makes the band sound even more immense than before.

October Drift have always had a penchant for writing true earworms, and that ability has not been lost in this sense of ambition. Title track and opener ‘Blame The Young‘ uses a repetitive structure to continuously build in an almost celebratory manner, despite the nihilistic undertones of the lyricism which perfectly set the scene for the rest of the album. ‘Tyrannosaurus Wreck‘ has bristling, infectious choruses that demand that you dance and sing along with every fibre of your being, as it builds to a brilliant, bold climax.

It is the moments of vulnerability that truly shine on this record, however. ‘Wallflower‘ offers an incredibly powerful performance from frontman Kiran Roy, with his existential dread splayed out in front of the listener against a shimmering backdrop of cinematic indie rock tones. ‘Heal‘, on the other hand, commences with a surprisingly minimalistic, electronic introduction, before soaring upwards with spectacular, empowering energy, as Roy declares ‘what a thing it is to heal‘ with intense, vibrant exuberance.

Some moments unfortunately do feel a little undercooked or buried within the rest of the record. ‘Don’t Care‘ struggles to find its footing, sandwiched between the aforementioned ‘Wallflower‘ and the anthemic ‘Everybody Breaks‘, whilst ‘Hollow‘ lacks the sense of scale and ambition that punctuates much of the rest of the music here; they’re not badly performed, but just feel surplus to requirements compared to the rest of the record.

However, by the time that you reach the end of the cinematic credit scroll that is ‘Not Running Anymore‘, those flaws are a distant memory. The usage of orchestral strings here, layered against overwhelming walls of fuzzy, reverb-soaked guitars, is shiver-inducing. It is a beautiful conclusion to this record, and frankly should be declared as one of the finest closing tracks to an album of 2024; this is October Drift at their most fully realised.

If their last album was a demonstration of growing pains, then ‘Blame The Young‘ is a demonstration of October Drift truly blossoming into the vital rock act that they have always been destined to be. The core of what made October Drift so engaging to listen to remains intact, but is now adorned with musical elements that only serve to bolster and broaden their sound and scale; basement venues will continued to be annihilated by their energy, yet stages far bigger now have a sound suited for their size. A must-listen for anyone who thinks of themselves as a fan of indie or alternative rock.

RATING: 78/100 – Mostly Very Good

For Fans Of: Mew, The Verve, Manchester Orchestra, Coldplay, Snow Patrol

Physical copies of the album are available to purchase here.

Follow the band on social media below:

Instagram // Spotify // Twitter