Brooklyn based indie alternative rock duo Drive-In are back with their second single, "Narcissus” (you can listen to it here ) We got to talking about how Ally Rincon and Mitch Meyer got into music, the making of "Narcissus", and so much more.
Hi guys! Thanks so much for answering my questions, how are you?
Ally: I’m doing ok! Went and played some beach volleyball this morning in Brooklyn and got through some work.
How did you guys get into music? What made you want to start making music together?
Ally: I got into music when I was very young. I used to look through my dad’s vinyl and live concert DVD collections, and I have vague memories of watching Fleetwood Mac’s The Dance on TV with my parents. I remember being in awe of Stevie Nicks and her stage presence. It really spoke to me, and I remember wanting to do exactly that so badly! Then the next big moment for me was when I was six. I remember being at Mass, (I went to Catholic school. We went to mass weekly.), and we were singing some random hymn, and this kid in front of me turned around and said, “Wow! you’re really good!” I got so shy and hid behind my hymnal, but after that, I just never stopped singing. I met Mitch through a mutual friend in 2019. I was looking for someone to help with “Narcissus” cause I felt like I was on to something, and my buddy Frank Poma told me about Mitch. We met, creatively clicked, and the rest is history!
Mitch: I recall a couple defining moments when i was growing up that drove me to start making music. Listening to 94.7 The Zone when i was about 9 years old in Chicago i discovered Linkin Park, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Yellowcard and more, then i saw Phantom of the Opera when i was about 11 or 12, and was captivated. I began listening to hardcore and metal in middle school and began writing songs almost every day. I would use a little computer program called Guitar Pro to write full arrangements of songs with drums, bass and guitar. As Ally mentioned above my friend and someone ive worked with in bands Frank Poma introduced me to Ally and we started working right away!
How did you go about finding your sound?
Ally: When we first started out, there were many conversations about what we wanted to sound like. I grew up listening to pop punk, emo, punk, and like alt-rock types of things. I loved and still love bands like Mayday Parade, Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, Paramore, and hellogoodbye to my core, but as I grew from an emo teen into an emo adult, my love for indie and DIY-type music grew as well. We wanted our sound to be a blend of our roots and where we are now, so it has those extremely vulnerable, emo-style lyrics but set to more organic and warm instrumentals.
Mitch: I spent a lot of time learning folk music and blues, as well as learning metal emo and rock at different times in my life. I heard Ally’s tunes and i was like great this sounds like a blend of all the genres i know how to play lol. When starting with the instrumentals i wanted to maintain some of the punk/emo narrative in her lyrics and tone but balance it out with some more folk rock instrumentals to keep it a bit more rich and organic. We brought in our pal Quinn Devlin to help out with recording, some drum and guitar work and achieving that sound.
You’ll be releasing your newest single, “Narcissus,” on Sept 2nd, which is super exciting, congratulations! I feel this topic is very relatable to many people, how were you able to be vulnerable with these lyrics?
Ally: Thank you! We’re so excited too. Honestly, I find that it’s much easier for me to be vulnerable and honest when writing music than trying to actually talk to people about things I’ve experienced or feel frustrated or saddened by. There was someone in my life who made me feel like I was small and stupid and made me feel like my needs in our relationship were secondary, which caused me to withdraw even more. One day, I realized that they just weren’t going to change, and I just had enough. I cut things off with them and processed everything I had experienced into this song.
What was the writing and creative process like for “Narcissus”?
Ally: So I don’t actually play instruments. Like…I “can,” but not particularly well. I was tinkering around with my ukelele one day after listening to a lot of Never Shout Never, and all of a sudden, the line, “You’re such a fucking narcissist/ I can’t believe it came to this,” came out of nowhere. I had a lightbulb moment, and the song just kinda poured out of me. I wrote down all the lyrics and set them to some simple chords. I met Mitch not too long after that, and this became the first song we actually ever worked on together.
How did you go about creating the music for the track?
Mitch: Ally had the lyrics and essentially the whole “song” completed, but acapella. For me, the harmonics and progressions can change the mood of the song, so first, we came up with some progressions that maintained a mood that was not too on the nose and not too much of a downer, a sad bop still has to bop after all. The verse is all a D Major to keep it light and upbeat, as well as to make the chorus a bit more emotional, as it has much more changes than the verse. At this point, I brought in my friend Quinn Devlin to help me work out some of the textures with the guitar work to find the right mood of americana, punk, and emo mood.
What was the recording process like?
Mitch: I had a studio in Bed Stuy at the time called Zoos Studio (RIP). The 3 of us got in there, and Quinn Devlin kinda took the lead as the producer of the record. Me and Quinn tracked bass and drums respectively at the same time to get a really gelled together old-school sound. That took about a whole day to get the drums and bass for the 4 tracks on the EP. Did about 6 or 7 takes of each song til we were really together. In the next session, we layered in the guitars played by Quinn and me. We really took advantage of the spring reverbs in our VOX AC-30 as well as the MXR Carbon Copy analog delay pedal and the MXR Analog Chorus pedal to create a warm vibey sound. Turned the amp up loud to really hit the tubes. The next session, Ally did her lead vocals, she sounds the same every time she sings, so that only took like a few hours then Quinn and I layered in some harmonies we made up on the spot. For harmonies, sometimes just going off the cuff and not overthinking it gives you some raw organic feeling stuff.
Was there a difference in the writing and creative process between “Narcissus” and “Ronkonkoma”?
Ally: From a lyrical standpoint, I wanna say I probably cried a lot more during the writing process of “Ronkonkoma.” It’s not angry like “Narcissus,” but more regretful.
Mitch: Ronkonkoma was really a different time and vibe than “Narcissus.” As we were just getting our footing, we were for sure trying out a few different genres. “Ronkonkoma” has a lot of analog synth work and more indie pop influences. Both have similar characteristics in terms of some of Ally’s signature vocal mood and some of the extra beats and bars we like to do, as well as some of the rhythm guitar work, but for sure borderline a different genre.
Who would you say your musical influences are?
Ally: I think for this project especially, I’m very influenced by The Front Bottoms, Oso Oso, Derek Sanders of Mayday Parade, Phoebe Bridgers, The 1975, and Pinegrove. I have a whole playlist, actually! It’s like 8 hours long at this point.
When creating music, what comes first? Lyrics, or music?
Ally: Lyrics first! I don’t know why I songwrite this way, but I’ll come up with a whole vocal line and nearly finished lyrics before showing it to Mitch. I kinda hear how I want it to sound and describe it the best I can. Mitch is great at taking what I’m describing and fleshing it out into something truly awesome!
What was your favorite part about creating “Narcissus”?
Ally: Honestly, how cathartic it is. I think we all have or had a “Narcissus” in our lives, and there’s a quiet rage in it that I think seeps throughout the whole song. I don’t really do confrontation well, but when I sing this song, it’s kinda like I get to say all the things I wish I had said to the “Narcissus” of the story.
Mitch: I have written hundreds of songs, but only a select few really come together and feel like a unique experience. One where everything makes sense, a unique story or mood is described, and when I listen back I wouldn’t change anything. It actually wasn’t even a difficult nor time-consuming song to put together. Everything just made sense right away.
You guys are currently based in Brooklyn, has the New York music scene inspired you guys at all? If so, how?
Ally: I adore how strong the DIY spirit is here in NYC/ BK, and everyone is so supportive of each other.
Mitch: The music scene here is very collaborative. I can go play a show with a band, and suddenly a few weeks later, I'm playing in a band or a writing project with people I met at the show. The Brooklyn scene is a bunch of talented people who really just wanna make cool hits together. It’s a beautiful thing I never found before moving to NYC.
What would you say inspires you the most when creating music?
Mitch: For me, it's all about the art, I love the collaboration and social element of it, but turning a story or emotion or moment into a musical form is what it's all about for me. The feeling of creating an original piece of art that moves you (and hopefully others) is indescribable, it's like a drug to me. It gives me joy and confidence for weeks. So I guess the music itself inspires me to turn more of my emotions and experiences into music.
What else is in store for you guys this Fall?
Ally: After we release “Narcissus,” we have another single coming out in October called “Overwhelmed,” and then the EP, this is not a rom-com,” drops in November! We’re in the middle of planning a record release show, but people can follow us on IG for updates!
Last questions, we are always down to discover new music! Who should we be listening to right now?
Ally: Oh man, this is hard! I’m a music journalist at Ones To Watch and The Noise, so I’m literally consuming new music all the time. I wanna say if you wanna check out more NYC/BK indie bands, then check out GLOM and Plastic Picnic. Again, I have whole playlists and articles dedicated to new music people should check out, so just follow my work, I guess if you want new music recs!
Mitch: Been listening to a lot of Erin Rae, Mt Joy, Margo Price, and Night Moves. Also, Future’s new album slaps. And for those deathcore fans out there: Spiritworld, Abbie Falls, and Lorna Shore have all been putting out spectacular work recently. Kind of all over the place for me
Words by Melody
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