SINCE joining forces as DRIFT in 2018, Linzi Clark and Andrew Quinn have quietly and effectively gone about their business, carefully crafting a world defined by heart-rending lyricism and celestial electronics that oscillate between the beautifully ethereal and the wholly invigorating.
Just a couple of weeks after teaming up with fellow Paisley natives The Vegan Leather for a remix of their 2019 track ‘Edge of Love’, an irresistible slice of electro-pop gold, the duo are back doing things on their own terms with the release of a majestic new single ‘Lifeline’.
A track that sees the duo shift things up a gear once more, ‘Lifeline’ opens in soft, understated fashion before taking their ethereal electro-pop to new cosmic heights – trading in the immersive dream-pop explored on previous singles for an emphatic invite to the dancefloor and a night spent under the glittering shards of a disco ball.
Featuring vocals from producer Andrew Quinn for the first time, his soulful harmonies are the perfect accompaniment to Linzi Clark’s sublime vocals which weave in and out of his pulsing production, her lyrics retaining the thoughtful introspection that has informed all of their material thus far as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and reflection. Exploring the blurred lines that exist between lust and love, it makes for a sensuous and wholly invigorating listen as through a beautifully cascading sonic journey, they capture the all-consuming feeling of casting aside your inhibitions and just letting go.
Already a firm live favourite and a staple of their mesmerising live shows, ‘Lifeline’ is easily DRIFT’s most vibrant and ambitious release to date.
Linzi said of the track “I wanted to explore the secrecy and vulnerability in really letting go. That authentic moment we all get at times when you step outside of your own body and have a light bulb moment, letting go of ego and your own ideas of yourself and how you’re seen to others. It’s sensual but with an underlying edge of vulnerability. It’s about treading the line between lust and love and not wanting to commit in fear of losing that spark. Wanting to delve into the moment without the aftermath of doubt and fear and only wanting to show a certain side of you, without anything too real. Eventually confronting that head on, being challenged to ask yourself why.
“This is one of our favourite songs to play live, when the bass swells and finally drops into that pulsing rhythm of the intro, it leaves room to weave my vocals in and out in the safety of a big bed of bass. I can let loose during this track. We normally play it near the end of our set so I’m naturally more in the zone, it feels like a lights going down moment. It’s a sexy song, it’s like our Clark Kent moment, we’ve whipped off our dream pop shades to reveal a sexy dark dance tune and we’re here for it. Lifeline was also the first glimpse of Andrew’s incredible vocals too, I love performing it live with his harmony on the chorus, the first time we performed it, it felt like a moment of really coming together as a duo for the first time. We’ve definitely been exploring that more when writing new material”
Andrew adds “Lifeline started off with the keyboard stabs from the chorus then I built the song up from there. I had all the components, melodic bass part and some nice sounding textures but the song still wasn’t sounding great. After experimenting in the studio a bit with vocals and guitar we decided to go with a more prominent guitar sound and strong vocals which really tied the song together and has become a feature of our sound as a whole.”
Check out ‘Lifeline’ below.
