Single Review: Drive45 – Ground Vision

March 4, 2024

1–2 minutes

By: Grant Kelly, Contributor

[Drive45; 2024]

Rating: 7/10

When the question arises about artists that don’t receive recognition proportional to the effort or production value of their work, Drive45 is perhaps the quickest name my mind jumps to. Their music is nothing if not eclectic. With an animated vocal delivery and scrappy visual style indebted to Jack Stauber and similar internet weirdos, a theatricality rivaling that of a broadway production, and a dense instrumental makeup informed by indie glitch-pop pioneers like Sweet Trip that push the boundaries of what could feasibly be considered “pop music” in the first place.

“Ground Vision” is the newest addition to a growing catalog of maddeningly complex singles, and I’d say it ticks most of the boxes for what makes Drive45 such an exciting artist to watch. The song is undeniably confident in its sprawling, multi-faceted structure, which alternates between punchy, staccato rhythms, and more pounding, intense melodic builds that perfectly mirror the sense of emotional overload expressed in the lyrics (abstract as they may be).

Soundwise, the song is as flavorful as ever, with bouncy drums and synth leads that would be right at home in a children’s video game soundtrack, overlaid with buzzing background noises and swells that give the track a contrasting bite. The composition is all over the place too, swapping musical phrases and melodies so rapidly you might think you were listening to multiple different songs if you were to skip around in the song at random.

When listening to “Ground Vision”, I get the sense that the song moves at its own pace, and doesn’t mind if I get left behind trying to keep up. While this level of intricacy can lead to a song losing steam or not leaving an impression on the listener—an issue that I’ve admittedly had with some of their previous songs—“Ground Vision” has strong enough hooks and charisma to sell me on its quirkiness, and I can only hope to see more of a full-length project from the artist in the near future.

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