The Driers – Indie Pop/Rock

From: Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
Genre: Alt Pop/Rock

Maybe it’s the language barrier, or just a simple lack of motivation from the West when it comes to investing interest in artists from the Middle East. Whatever the reason, it is a rare occurrence when an Israeli band blips the radar and when it does, it is almost always a joy to discover. Especially on realisation that not only do the band rock, but feature a prominent female as part of their makeup; another somewhat irregularity of the rock scene but an element that is spawning a lot of excellent bands from the country at the moment; as is the case with the 3-piece in subject, harmonic pop-rock extraordinaires The Driers.

Together and playing shows for a few years now it has taken a while to get a proper recording released, with the fruits of their labour finally manifesting in the form of last year’s See You In Never EP; five tracks of what could best be described as alternative rock or indie-rock, with a more than generous topping of pop. What’s great about The Driers is that the lead vocals are shared; always a bonus to a band’s dynamic and when done so well, particularly when the dynamic crosses gender as is the case here, results in a gourmet recipe for harmony.

Despite us being guilty of genre labelling The Driers are anything but generic with tracks Contagious, Who Doesn’t and A.L.A.R.M, whilst featuring funky bass lines and rolling danceable indie beats, still manage to maintain an underlying sense of heaviness no doubt drawn from their noticeable Buzzcocks and Sonic Youth influences. On this EP however it is really the rock filling of the sandwich that stands out; being tracks three and four, namely Lipstick Buds and Porchlight where the male/female harmonies gel colourfully, creating what will be described as nothing less than two pieces of pop mastery. There is even a hint of System Of A Down hiding in the corner during Lipstick Buds, which features the most sailent example of the front-duo working their melodic magic. You could just as well have been transported back to the nineties and with the sunshine pop of Porchlight, which will be a welcome refreshment for fans of Charlotte Hatherley, ex-Bassist for Britpop band Ash, it is as well-rounded of an EP as you will get.

Atmosphere and riffs are in all the right places and no one will be complaining that we have had to wait this long for some studio activity from the band and with the prospect of a debut full-length being released later this year (apparently already finished), the future certainly looks bright.

Listen to their EP for free over at The Drier’s Bandcamp Page.

And be sure to join their growing fanbase on Facebook.

Then last, but not least, check out the band playing an acoustic cover of fellow Israeli punks Sweatshop Boys and their tune Crazy Eyes, below. Talk about putting icing on the cake…