I first heard about Remo Drive, the young Minnesota-based indie rock/emo band, through maybe the most unlikely and unexpected way: at a Mitski show in Copenhagen, per recommendation from a Danish fan I had met at the concert. โYou should definitely listen to Remo Drive,โ he said. โIโm in this really emo kick right now and theyโre great.โ I made a hasty note on my phone, but it wasnโt until days later when I saw their name pop up on a music forum that reminded me to check out their full length debut, Greatest Hits (2017). By the time closing song โName Brandโ dissipated its chattering end, I hit replay and made myself a promise that I would see them live back in the States. Iโm happy to report that four months later, my vow was more than fulfilled at the Cornerstone last Tuesday night, which coincidentally, turned out to be Remo Driveโs very first Californian show. In fact, this is the indie outfitโs first west coast tour following a breakthrough earlier this year, thanks in part to internet buzz and a certain melon-head music reviewer, but mostly because of their biting lyrics and cathartic punky shreds. Remo Driveโs tongue-in-cheek, smalltown angst by way of Converse-clad jump kicks could have soothed any soul hardened by the Berkeley midterm season, or in the case of the smattering of younger fans in attendance, high school woes. Case in point: during more kinetic numbers like โArt School,โ and personal favorite โIโm My Own Doctor,โ the majority of the crowd worked themselves into a frenzy, flailing their limbs around and jumping along to drummer Sam Mathyโs barraging beats. Erik Paulsonโs boyish voice was as vulnerable, aching, and powerful as it sounds on the album, his quivery falsettos and impassioned howls recalling Remoโs midwest emo predecessors in the best way. A well-paced setlist can be a pitfall for bands, but given the kind of roller coaster structure characterizing much of Remo Driveโs catalog and their feverous dexterity on stage, they easily bypassed this problem. Each song almost felt like a condensed concert in itself: you get the catchy Weezer-y riffs, a somber vocal solo, a slowed-down jam session, and sludgy guitar wanderings all rolled into one number. Then the band slingshots into another angry pop-punk line, and youโre out of breath but are happy to get on that ride again. Remo Driveโs self-aware, wisecracking approach canโt help but permeate through whatever they touch, whether itโs using humor as a coping mechanism in their lyrics, naming their debut โGreatest Hits,โ or tricking fans into listening to Merzbow on Twitter. And as it turns out, their live show too was injected with the schtick. The trio prefaced a cover of the Killersโ โWhen You Were Youngโ by calling it โa song from Guitar Hero III,โ and lovingly dedicated โIโm My Own Doctorโ to the cast of Scrubs later on. At the end of the night, in what seemed like another quip, Erik matter-of-factly said, โSo I says to the guy…โ before immediately erupting into โYer Killinโ Meโsโ opening words: โI DONโT WANNA FUCKIN BE HERE ANYMORE!โ Up until this point, I was hanging on the perimeter of the pit, but once Remo Drive tore into this undeniably fun, urgent, kamikaze-slanting banger, I had to dash in. As Erik wailed, โYou make me want to start smoking/Cigarettes so I die slowly,โ I rammed into a woman who Iโd met before the show, and told me that sheโd driven 3.5 hours after work to see this show. Perhaps this is a testament to ย the kind of spirit Remo Drive exhales. It has the power to chip away at college senior or post-grad disillusionment through songs about teenage isolation and confusion, songs that could very well be anthems for freshman year when everything was new and thrilling and anxiety-inducing all at once. Songs that summon engrams of your younger self, but in this confrontation you never feel embarrassed or belittled. Instead, with Remo Driveโs help, you see how far youโve come. Written by Adrienne Lee Photos by Arnav Chaturvediย Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Δ