“Hey baby, what’s goin’ on?” / “I’m just leavin’ the club right now…” This record initially got swept up in the italo revival / nu disco hysteria, in part due to its association with Glass Candy’s Beatbox and the After Dark compilation (which we love). But upon closer inspection, it’s the smoky urban dread and stellar songwriting that really reverberate (maybe I’m just burned out, but I hear more Bruce Springsteen than Kano when I listen to this). Chromatics would later perfect both of these aspects of their sound on Kill For Love, but Night Drive retains that loose, wide-eyed magic of a band completely exhausted from years spent trudging the thankless noise & experimental circuit getting ahold of a synthesizer for the first time. The cinematic quality of this album is unparalleled; it cuts so deep that one of the most successful ‘art films’ of the decade is basically just a 100 minute live action tribute to this record (they even had the balls to include “Tick Of The Clock” on the soundtrack after ejecting Johnny Jewel from score duties). The tender Kate Bush cover is a saccharine update for the clubs that everyone can agree on, but don’t sleep on the fly-by-night postpunk of “Healer,” airy cabaret dazzle of “Tomorrow Is So Far Away” or the clandestine singalong title track. This is one of the few truly great late night albums of the 21st century so far. This 10th anniversary edition mirrors the original 2007 CD tracklisting with five additional tracks that further expand the sonic world, remastered and pressed on double vinyl. Recommended.

• 180g ivory colored double vinyl pressing
• housed in deluxe gatefold sleeve
• printed inner sleeves w/ full album lyrics
• 10th anniversary edition w/ remastered sound
• music label: Italians Do It Better 2018

reviewed by hannibal chew 02/2018