Our eight pick for Sheffield Spotlight is the incredible and increasingly popular Drastic//Automatic, with their newest single ‘The Finish Line’.
Ahead of a sold-out, hometown gig today at Sidney&Matilda, the band yesterday released their fourth single, ‘The Finish Line’. A fantastic song, ‘The Finish Line’ takes what Drastic have been doing well over the last year and builds on it. Angry, intense and energetic, ‘The Finish Line’ tackles the ideas of cultural malaise and frustration. Lead singer Sean Hession’s frenzied vocals lends itself to this feeling of frustration, seemingly shouting for answers. Emphasising this frustration is the constant, disorientating rhythm section, with the shrill guitar tones and unnerving bass lines creating a feeling of restlessness and uneasiness, both in the band and in the listener. Bass player Sissy Green and drummer Benji Wilson combine to create a dark, incessant sound, creating a perfectly intense, atmospheric backing to Sean’s guitar and vocals.
The band themselves had this to say about the song:
“Drastic//Automatic are back with their fourth single ‘The Finish Line’. At first glance, the track may appear to be a continuation on the themes of cultural frustration exerted in the preceding release ‘The Cup Final’ but in reality the latest addition to their catalogue is centred around the feeling of time passing uncontrollably.
D//A make music for people who are constantly running late and The Finish Line epitomises that. The rhythm section drives forward hurriedly throughout the song, barely stopping for breath.”
‘The Finish Line’ can be found on Drastic//Automatic‘s Spotify here.