Driveaway

by Meghan Gallagher

If you are discouraged by recent releases, AKA rap songs about horses in the back, then look no farther because a fresh band in Gainesville has the thought-provoking music you need to get back on the good taste track. Not to say the BiIly Ray Cyrus and Lil Nas duo aren’t catchy, but Driveaway is catchy and profound. You won’t feel guilty playing them on repeat.

You have your music you listen to with your friends in the car, the music you throw on at party, and then the song you listen to alone when you're feeling contemplative. And then there’s the indie band Driveaway that is the new appropriate choice for all of the above.

Just as you can tailor your playlist to different situations on the daily, there will be certain music that stands out through different stages of life. I remember how I felt I had changed my entire life in high school by changing what I listened to. Shout out to Mazzy Star for sponsoring my melodramatic period. But my amazement never ceases with how influential music is. You can always rely on it, ready to be played on repeat to your hearts content. And that’s what kind of band Driveaway is setting out to be.

“The name Driveaway represents the idea that sometimes we have to ‘drive away’ from familiar situations or our comfort zones in order to reach something that will better us,” Tanner Ropp told Narrow.

Brothers Tanner and Trenton Ropp met Andrew Mankin at church, bonding over their musical inclination, and then met Kyle Tapley at their high school, where he was a drum major. They evolved into the four-piece set Driveaway in 2018, which has provided a sort of emotional escape.

While they admit their music has been a source of catharsis from the everyday difficulties you face in life, their music is anything but depressing. Their synthesized sounds are to dazzle, and their riffs are energetic and punchy. Each song is impeccably produced without being repetitive.

Just when I thought I couldn’t like this group of stand-up Gainesville guys any more, they shared each of the bands or musicians they dream about opening for which is a pretty swell list:

Trenton: SZA, Troye Sivan

Tanner: The 1975, Anderson .Paak

Andrew: Vulfpeck, Whitney Houston

Kyle: John Mayer, Leon Bridges

They have seemingly combined their inspirations into something that is as admirable of the music of those listed above, but into something that sounds like nothing you’ve heard before. If they didn’t charm me enough with their talent and good taste, they shared what would be the ideal venue to play - None other than my town’s concert venue - the St. Augustine Ampitheatre.

So, if you're looking to amplify your next windows down, fresh-aired, midnight drive with no destination in mind, alone with your thoughts or with good company, make sure you add Driveaway to your play list (I recommend “Golden Sweaters”). And then do just that, Driveaway from all of your problems into the dreamy abyss they provide or face them with their confronting lyrics. It’s your choice when it comes to Driveaway.