At The Drive In

in • ter a • li • a RISE. CD/DL/LP

Thunderous comeback from the Tex-Mex-Puerto Rican post-hardcore pioneers.

Rising from the Fugaziinspired posthardcore underground, At The Drive-In were too sussed to become mainstream rock casualties à la Kurt Cobain; their sudden split in 2001 – as explosive as their legendary live show – probably saved their lives. Time has not diminished their power either: from opener No Wolf Like The Present, their progressive, Latino-filtered punk surge is pure musical adrenalin. Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s staccato vocals and surrealist lyrics evoke images of Ballard/Burroughsian poetic absurdity, while guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López squeezes out kaleidoscopic and delineated sounds like no other. At the heart of Continuum and Incurably Innocent are untamed pop melodies that writhe like snapped power-lines, while berserk closer Hostage Stamps is a glorious collision of Jane’s Addiction, Minor Threat and Mahavishnu Orchestra. All remind just why ATDI’s unique vision for future-facing, galvanised rock music is more necessary than ever.