New Music: Eliza Edens – Death Drive

The perky garage-lite tones of Death Drive herald a new album and short US tour from Brooklyn musician Eliza Edens.

If you’ve been heartened by the deserved rise of Josaleigh Pollett over the last year, and have a weakness for the life tales of Ethel Cain, the surprisingly sprightly Death Drive, which is the title track of the upcoming album, will certainly be of interest.

You can pick up Edens’s vocal similarity to Pollett: a friendly, matter-of-fact delivery that overflows with warmth, even as the lyrics are unsparing in their description of serious life events. It slots nicely into the hard-to-place arrangement; one that dips into the pockets of eras from late 60s rock to the college sounds of the 90s, it resonates with current social and personal themes. Maybe it’s a bit nostalgic then, but Death Drive is far from a museum piece; it is a living and breathing part of the singer’s life, being shared with the listener in the role of new friend and confidante.

It can be a hard listen for some, though, as Edens details a series of physical and psychic near-death experiences – childhood ski accidents, pandemic digital breakups, and their own mother’s experience with dementia.

Edens’ Death Drive album is set for release on the 30th of October. There’s a limited-edition version of the LP on black vinyl, which is now up for pre-order on Bandcamp.

To coincide with the album, Eliza Edens hits the road mid-November, with dates including stop-offs in New York and Philadelphia. Get tour and album news by connecting with Edens on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

Header photo by Emilio Herce