BLD DRV (blood drive) is the collaborative alt-rock project of Craig Daitch (vocals/guitar) of Detroit and Tacoma-based Justin Tamminga (drums) of the Spartan Records band Assertion. Working across time zones, the duo crafts a sound that blends textured guitars with brooding atmospherics through music that is both reflective and unflinching.
On their new single, “Vines,” the duo blends their prowess with modern shoegaze tricks as they create an immersive yet unassuming piece of nostalgic alt-rock. There is a sonic conflict at the heart of this single that draws you in the minute Daitch’s haunting vocals kick in. The vocals are driven by an energy that feels both familiar and alien as they battle with the dense, fuzzy arrangement. The fight is a beautifully violent one, with soaring vocal melodies that at times top the stadium-sized instrumentation, only for the thudding drums to overtake Daitch with pulsating urgency. All the while, “Vines” delivers a powerful message of taking time for yourself, removing your mind from modern trappings, and BLD DRV has created an anthem that does just that without the listener even realizing it. Like magic, “Vines” immerses you in a world of color and drowns out the world’s problems with impressive guitar work and hypnotic drums.
“We live in a culture where you’re on watch 24/7, with no relief. Every moment is content, and every mistake is amplified,” explains the band. “‘Vines’ is our way of pushing back against that cycle, asking what it does to us as people when privacy is gone and the spotlight never shuts off.”
