EP Review: Katie Drives - "Safe And Sad"
“Katie Drives mixes the pop rock melodies with grunge grit in her new EP”
Written by Jesse Smith
Coming from the countryside of Northern Germany resides an up and coming pop rock icon that goes by the name Katie Drives. Drives started releasing music in mid 2021 and has been on a warpath ever since. Katie’s music is heavily influenced by the mid to late 2000’s era of pop punk when music was still played on MTV, aka the good old days. Fast Forward to 2023, her newest EP titled “Safe And Sad” is finally released and it is a collection of songs that really show her musical influences as well as her musical diversity. It has been 2 years since her last EP titled “Fake Smiles” was released in 2021. I was super stoked to write about it and to dive more in depth into the music individually and also as a whole, so let’s get into it!
The EP varies in vibe from song to song. The problem I see most with the pop punk/pop rock genre is that an album usually all sounds the same, and usually I hate that. Sure, It shows that the band is aware of their image and identity but it can all blend in with the other bands in the same genre and there is the issue, but not for Katie. For starters, she has a low timbre voice that is so soothing to listen to. When I think pop I think high notes dialed to 11, it caught me off guard when I first heard Katie sing, but in a good way! It is so unique and different that it completely sets her apart. I saw somewhere that someone described her as somewhere in between Hayley Williams and Amy Lee and I can 1000% back that. Throughout the EP, she’ll throw in little vocal scale runs that resemble Evanecense. In one of the singles titled “Ghost” in the chorus she sings the line “I took the easy way out” and how she sings the “out” has this beautiful little run that caught my attention immediately. Speaking of that song, the swing this song has is so toe-tappy that it's infectious. The melody itself will be stuck in your head even if you don’t know the words. Another song that wouldn’t get out of my brain was the last track called “Death Dreams”. Out of the 6 songs, this was one of the three that wasn’t a single but it’s a fantastic closer. This song doesn’t say pop rock to me at all, It gives more soul and blues. With a more somber tone, this song is just Katie belting her emotions so that makes you feel something. Her newest single “Anywhere But Here” has the most pop rock element to it and is a high energy song from the first note.
The EP was well thought out with starting high and bringing it down for the end. There is a grit about the whole EP that gives it a very raw feeling to it. It resembles a lot of what made grunge amazing, and to be honest, I think Katie Drives would make a killer grunge style record. With the new Pierce the Veil album being on the grunge side, having this kind of production while still having the pop melody elements is a perfect fit. I enjoyed how unique she was as a singer and how unique each song was on the EP. Even though they all had a separate feel and vibe, they all still sounded like Katie Drives. This new EP is definitely getting attention and I can’t wait to see where she goes from here!