Remo Drive in Dallas, TX - June 25, 2024
Remo Drive is a band I’ve been long waiting to see since I found out about them in 2017. They’re currently on tour with Hobo Johnson as an opening act. They are an indie alternative rock band formed by brothers, Erik Paulson, & Stephen Paulson.
They sang a lot of their new stuff, off their newest album “Mercy”. They opened up strong, with “Art School”, a song off of one of their older albums, “Greatest Hits”. This song was perfect as a starter, especially for the fans that became fans because of this album. After this, they got to show off their new sound, a sonder, more laid back, and personal sound that is visible in not just the instruments, but the lyrics as well.I felt I really resonated with some of the sayings in there. They cover some significant topics about the embracement of change, and reinvention. They’re clear about the direction of this album.
“All You’ll Ever Be” was a favorite song they played live. The energy, the vocals, it’s very clear that they love to play this song live (understandably). The riffs are crazy good. The way they were all in sync, dancing around, it truly was a fun song to hear live. It started off melodic, then at the end they gave it their own twist. Erik hopped freely around the whole stage, not afraid to show his energy. The performance felt intimate, their energy was there, and surely did not disappoint.
A severely underrated album - Mercy - deserves more attention than it get. The strong riff sounds, mixed with Erik’s unique voice. Stephen made playing the guitar seem so effortless when I saw them on that stage. We really got to see a more personal side of them, regarding the lyrics. I’m glad they feel comfortable with sharing such things with the world, transformed into music.
The lengths Erik’s voice went to, which I got to hear live, truly amazed me. His growth in vocals is something he should be proud of. When they performed “Hold You”, I noticed Erik’s voice shines in this the most. This song is more indie folk, slow, romantic, & vulnerable. A perfect song to listen to with your lover. He sounds exactly like he does on the record, if not better. I think you just might have to see for yourselves to truly understand. I especially loved how they were grooving to the sounds of their instruments. I mean, how could you not?
They ended the set with “Yer Killing Me”, an OG song off arguably their most known album. They left us with a bang, going all out. I really can’t think of a better song they could’ve chose to end the set, making us wanting more. Although I wish their set was longer, which obviously couldn’t happen because they were the opener, I hope to catch them on a headline tour soon, so I can hear all the songs live from the new album, and some of the old one’s, as I sadly missed their recent headline tour in the spring of this year. I’m glad Remo Drive is making their way around the states again.
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