Drifts are (L-R) Graham Thompson (drums, vocals), Simon Hubbard (guitar), Dan Shannon (bass) and Ross Millard (vocals, guitar).Say yes to this glorious drum-clattered intro. And those post-punk-ish angled riffs—at once agressive and quivering ever so lightly. That cymbal that sounds like a sharp intake of breath. If there's a trace of something here that sounds familiar, you're not wrong: this quartet includes one Ross Millard, a man key to the songwriting prowess of Sunderland (England) band, The Futureheads. You know, those gents who emerged in the early 2000s with their taut, antsy pop songs and plush four-part harmonies. Man, "Decent Days and Nights" still sounds fresh and exuberant. And yes, they delivered that genius Kate Bush cover, but they're so much more than that. (Shouts out to Millard taking the lead on their much underrated 2006 song "Favours for Favours".)Millard's not one for standing still, so with The Futureheads on hiatus, he's gone and formed another band, the Drifts, with a clutch of local pals. Below is the lead song from said project, and their debut EP, Blue, which was recorded by MJ (Hookworms) at his Suburban Home studio in Leeds. (You can hear the EP title track here.)"XR3i is the first track on the EP, and talks about that endless summer feeling… Modern love in the back of a Ford Escort," explains Millard. (Does he mean dogging?) "That last kick about before it gets dark, while you’ve still got the teams."It’s about the street in Sunderland where we rehearsed when we first started the band. There are car garages all across the road, right down the street, and a little dance studio just plonked right in the middle of them all. Waiting to practice you’d see this mix of things going on—the street was really alive. It kept things right, and really felt like everyone was doing what they loved. I wrote this song about it all."Sit back, give it a listen, and dream of modern love in the back of a Ford Escort. What a way with words!
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Blue is out on 11.6.Kim Taylor Bennett first interviewed The Futureheads during the summer of 2003 and she's loved them ever since. She's on Twitter.