ALBUM REVIEW: Natural, Everyday Degradation – Remo Drive

On their latest project and third in as many years following their debut album Greatest Hits in 2017 and the 2018 Pop Music EP, REMO DRIVE aim to do more than just write entertaining songs – they want to tell stories. The Paulson duo, made up of front man Erik Paulson and bassist Stephen Paulson, have spent a lot of time over the past couple of years touring and growing, ultimately thinking more consciously about how they want their music to sound and what they want to be their identity. With Natural, Everyday Degradation the band carve out a more clear-cut identity then they have previously presented and pool lyrical content largely from personal experiences and sources.

While the project deals a lot with what the band have learnt in their astronomical progression, by no means is this a record that beautifies being in a band and all that entails. In fact, REMO DRIVE present a very candid and honest take on the matter, even dipping fairly often into sombre tones to convey that “there’s a sadness in routine” as Erik states, regarding lead single Around The Sun.

Such a tone to the sound of the album is certainly in keeping with the tone of the title, which according to the band was in part inspired by Salvador Dali‘s iconic painting The Persistence Of Memory. These sombre tones are omitted for the most part through the highly emotional vocals of Erik that alternate between being piercing and smooth, and spend a lot of time lingering atop punchy guitar licks that in turn can slice through the melancholy with purpose.

This isn’t to say that Natural, Everyday Degradation is a depressive album as there are plenty of uplifting moods explored and happy moments, exactly as found on the chilled, somewhat euphoric Shakin’. The duo present a strength in versatility throughout the project, but more than that they can successfully weave the various moods and tones together in a smooth fashion which fastens the attention of the listener and only renders any juxtaposition of mood potent and robust.

For REMO DRIVE, pooling from within oneself is showing further to be a successful strategy and approach and has resulted here in the creation of a relatable and wise body of tracks. The songs all share a strong emotional investment that make them so much more open for a listener to really connect with, and the expressive nature of Erik‘s voice is certainly at the forefront, but never overshadowing the instrumentation. Romantic number Separate Beds that is full of hope displays this perfectly, as while the vocals are driving the track and convey lots of emotion, it is the quick and light drums and juicy chords that really light up the vocals, and the track.

One thing that Natural, Everyday Degradation makes crystal clear is how strong the Paulsons have become at songwriting; there is an unprecedented fluency to each track and some captivating song structures throughout the project, such as on Ezra and Marla. Building up patiently, the track moves through a range of gears as the intensity ramps up leading to more expressive instrumentation and flamboyant guitar licks, before suddenly dropping back to the laboured pace of the beginning and fading out allowing you to catch your breath and almost wonder what just happened – in a good way.

Rating: 7/10

Natural, Everyday Degradation is set for release June 14th via Epitaph Records. 

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