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Lifehouse

Darling Overdrive sprinkle some magical songwriting ‘Stardust’ with new EP ‘Cosmic Autumn’

Denver’s Darling Overdrive describe themselves as ‘rekindling the fire of late 20th Century Rock & Roll’. ‘Stardust’ initially has a little bit of a Goo Goo Dolls feel to it, opening up with some gently picked clean guitar over closed hi-hat sixteenths, before building, holding a little suspense before rocking out on the chorus with some nice staccato guitar chords and drum fills.

It’s reminiscent of The Calling, Hoobastank, or Lifehouse, that subtle blend of rock that’s an absolute shoo-in for acres of epic radio play right through the summer. That’s no criticism, either – it takes a very special kind of songwriting skill to maintain rock & roll credibility whilst generating mass-appeal, and to hit that perfect niche without falling into overblown Guns n’ Roses balladeering pomposity or Nickleback cheese takes some doing. Darling Overdrive seem to have done that effortlessly with ‘Stardust’, and the second track on the ‘Cosmic Autumn’ single ‘Surf’; top notch stuff.

Hear ‘Cosmic Autumn’ on Spotify; check out Darling Overdrive on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

A&R Factory Present: Heffron Drive

Based out of Los Angeles, CA, Heffron Drive is an Alt Pop band started in 2008 by lead singer Kendall Schmidt and Guitarist Dustin Belt. The duo began making music together when they were teenagers. Both Kansas natives met while living on the same street in Burbank, CA called Heffron Drive, which ultimately inspired the name of their band.

Before Heffron Drive had a chance to take off, Kendall booked the lead of a television show/music group and gained worldwide popularity as the lead Singer of the Nickelodeon/Columbia Records project Big Time Rush. After 5 years of success, Kendall, alongside guitarist, Dustin Belt, got back in the studio together as Heffron Drive.

The two best friends and band mates have been busy touring all parts of the world since the revival of Heffron Drive. From Europe to South America, the Philippines and all over the US. Their first album Happy Mistakes was released in 2015, shortly followed up by Happy Mistakes: Unplugged; per the fans request for an acoustic album. Happy Mistakes is a soaring example of how pure songwriting can be. The music is thoughtful and meticulously crafted to go along with lyric and melody that pull on every individual heart string.

 

So far the band has only impressed and they aren’t slowing down anytime soon. With the release of their two new singles “Rain Don’t Come” and “Don’t Let Me Go” in 2016 they have brought a new sound to their music that has pleasantly surprised the fans and attracted new listeners. These two new singles push the limits of what HD is all about; unforgettable music. “Rain Don’t Come” is a heart racing track full of desert vibes and incredibly thoughtful production. “Don’t Let Me Go” is the new sound for the project, showing the love that Heffron Drive has for electronic music while keeping their unique sound alive.

The band has been hard at work in the studio writing and producing new music. Their first new song of 2017, “Living Room”, was released January 13th, followed by an EP entitled “The Slow Motion EP” released February 10th. They will be playing a few shows in Mexico in January, and then of to Europe for a full European tour in February.