album: The Festival Is Dead and We Killed It
artist: Back Pocket Driver
genre: rock & roll
release date: June 19, 2020
star rating: three out of five

review by Levi Yager

The new release from Back Pocket Driver is here to shake up the soundtrack to your week. Crunchy electric guitars dominate an unadulterated rock sound with a sly streak of pop-punk in it. Go ahead, eat your heart out.

A fairly brief affair, The Festival Is Dead and We Killed It gives listeners three solid songs to sink their teeth into. “At Your Convenience” is first up, and it’s a good opening track that establishes the EP’s overall style. The arrangements aren’t the most imaginative here, but that’s not much of an issue; the song does what it sets out to do. A mid-tempo jam about being spurned by romance, “At Your Convenience” rolls through heartache in classic form.

The next two tracks raise the bar a bit. “You Got It, B,” the second, is my personal favorite at the moment. It takes a somewhat slower approach and features innovative song structure. The middle and bridge sections, in particular, stand out for the excellent dynamic shifts that occur across different instruments. Also, the dueling guitars in the verses paint some cool colors into the song.

“Good Ol’ Church Boi” closes up shop. It gets off to a great start, utilizing just a kick drum and a guitar before going full force. I love this song’s ability to effectively build anticipation and then ride that wave of energy. Add to that a strong chorus, and you’ve got a winner. “Good Ol’ Church Boi” puts a nice bow on the EP.

In the end, The Festival Is Dead and We Killed It is a fun EP that’s perfect to blast on your way to the store. The confident playing, catchy vocal hooks and occasional throaty screams all come together like a delicious Neapolitan ice cream. It’s not an entirely amazing release, sure, but there’s enough talent and drive in there to warrant a listen from any fan of rock & roll.