Premiere: DROVES go high-energy with new single, Cannibals

Premiere: DROVES go high-energy with new single, Cannibals

Fresh from a dominative 2019 which put the New South Wales group on top, they're following it up in 2020 too.

Header image by Teel Studios.

One of our favourite new acts to come out of last year was Sydney-via-Wollongong group DROVES, who with a trio of singles last year - BloodlineTime and Resentment - stepped forward as an exciting, fresh new face to New South Wales' live music world and the many pockets of genre-bending brilliance captured within it. DROVES, as a group, represent this genre-bending side pretty well, with their sound seizing the nostalgia of old-school new wave and mixing it with the energy of live rock/indie, pumping it full of punk mannerisms that swirl underneath.

Cannibals, the group's latest single, fleshes out the latter side of their music more-so than anything they've done in the past thus far. It sees the band move out of this subtle new-wave sound for something a little more rich with liveliness and energy, throwing things into a more mid-00s bloghouse-esque direction as they mould together the worlds of crunchy live rock and driving, quick-firing synth; their 80s-esque new-wave melodies still existent, but largely hidden underneath an onslaught of guitar and vocal that really make themselves known.

It's a really exciting step for the band that takes them outside of their comfort zone; Cannibals stopping with an energy and anger that feels like the band demanding attention - something they definitely deserve, after an incredible 2019 just-gone which saw the group go from strength to strength with every release. At the same time, however, this energy may come from the single's underlaying meaning - a defiant call-to-arms that aims to make a statement about socio-politics and the anger that underlays the current socio-political climate.

"Cannibals is simply an outlet of repressed rage, disgust and anger towards the system and the widespread unspoken issues that have arisen as a result," says the band's Taylor McAuliffe on the track.

Obviously, there's a lot to be angry about in 2020, and Cannibals really captures that without being obvious in doing so - a difficult feat to achieve, especially without a sense of corniness.

There's plenty more to come from DROVES, but in the meantime, dive into Cannibals below before it officially arrives this Friday, March 20.

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