La Dispute – No One Was Driving the Car (2025)
There was some discussion here when the earlier singles for this album came out, so I figured it was worth posting the full album now that's out (as of today, September 5).
https://ladispute.bandcamp.com/album/no-one-was-driving-the-car
Have you listened yet? What do you think? Standout songs? What did you think of the rollout for this album? (If you're unaware, the band released nearly the full album, except for the final two songs, over the past several months. They essentially released each "chapter" in the story of the album as individual EPs or singles.)
For me, this is miles better than PANORAMA was, and I'm glad that I held off on listening to anything after Environmental Catastrophe Film was released until this full album drop. I sort of hated the rollout for that, but I also think I understand why they did it.
I don't think it tops Rooms of the House, but it's absolutely among the band's top three (with Wildlife being the third in that mix). It really does feel like a mashup of the urgency/aggression of Wildlife and the artistry of Rooms of the House, and brings in some of the band's spoken word releases as well.
Environmental Catastrophe Film is the best song on the record, but that was going to be hard to beat because it may be the band's best song in general -- certainly their best song in a decade. Steve has also caught my attention each time it's come up in my play throughs.
FYI if this is to your taste do note that today is Bandcamp Friday where the artists get 100% of the revenue as Bandcamp doesn't take their cut on these days.
man..... I don't know. It isn't bad, but most of it is kind of the same... akin to 21 Savage's American Dream. I wish the production was a little bigger and cleaner with different levels. I really want that kick to be more aggressive, for instance.
But yeah, like you said, ECF is really strong. The record doesn't suffer for it, either, which is a plus.