Artist Review – DrownAgain
By Squiggly Meyers
Today’s featured artist is one from the Northwestern state of Washington. Specifically, the city of Kennewick, the anchor of the Tri-city region off the Columbia River. Roughly three hours southeast of Seattle is where Drown Again calls home. Formed in early 2021, internationally, mind you, with members in both Ireland and the US. It all began when Frank and his son were working on a song and needed a vocalist to sing it. After some searching, Frank found vocalist Rob, who accepted the request. After some time and getting to know each other, the two discovered a similarity in that both were dads of boys with autism. Both were also seasoned musicians. After getting to know one another, the chemistry was there to form a lasting musical relationship, and they became fast friends.
They began working on more songs, and the search was on for members to help record the album. Frank enlisted former band mates Erik Lundquist, who is the band’s bass player and main lyricist, and Jason Blessing on Drums. For this recording, some guests were invited to spice things up. They called upon guitarist extraordinaire Claudio Pietronik and Dani Rabin of the band Marbin. Musically, this hard-hitting group of friends pulled together to bring a unique vibe. While they affirm that the list of influences is a hefty one, they managed to bring a fresh offering to the soundscape. Though to this listener’s ears they could easily headline a tour with The Foo Fighters and Saliva, now that’s a ticket worth their weight in gold. With award winning potential, Drown Again is a band worth subscribing to.
Song Review: Drown Again
By Squiggly Meyers
Well, music lovers, here we go with another carnival of sound. Drown Again’s namesake is one in the chamber for sure. This song kicks in with a fade in, which is a call back to the production methods of the seventies, an unexpected surprise indeed. Then we’re caught in the Jungle drumming of the very capable Jason Blessing. As the guitars and a subtitle synth-pad build an ambiance, the song breaks through in full force. The churning rhythm lays the foundation for the vocals to take center stage. This anthemic piece makes no apologies for its heavy stance. Reminiscent of bands like Def Leppard, White Snake, and Judas Priest.
Lyrically, it tells of the struggle within. A struggle of overwhelming feelings of regret and of things that could have been. It can be overwhelming when we lose someone close or an opportunity. Sometimes, we can even get lost or stuck in the memory of a familiar setting, but we must look to the here and now. Take things one step at a time. We can’t move forward when we’re weighed down by the what-ifs. Drown again makes this a call to come out of the fog. Shake it off and move forward. Drown Again has a great rockin’ sound that not only appeals to the mainstream it is a great band to rock out to wherever you go.
Check out our interview of Drown Again here!