A sense of urgency is what brought La Dispute back together to write what could be the most recognisable album the band ever wrote while also at the same time being one of the most ambitious of their projects. Since the members are based in different countries, the band decided to produce the entire album themselves working between Michigan, the UK, Australia and the Philippines, and yet, somehow, the result of all this is a sound more unified than ever.
The album’s title comes from a newspaper article the frontman saw about a self-driving car crashing in a cul-de-sac and killing its passengers, which blossomed in his mind as a very apt metaphor for modern life, reckoning with malaise in the face of an impending technological apocalypse. The album covers themes of technology and the idea many have of its benevolence, while also examining ideas of everyday malaise and how people use technology, amongst other things, as a crutch.
This formed the basis of a conceptual narrative across the record mirroring the structure of a film – a big influence was First Reformed – with a narrative split into five acts. The choice of slowly realising act by act leading up to the full release was a well-thought concept because this is an album that can be difficult to digest in one sitting. With more than 60 minutes of music, No One Was Driving The Car is a project filled with many different approaches to song writing, that moves the listener intensively through the narrative and it needs to be assimilated with intention.
Act I opens with ‘I Shaved My Head’. Some anxiety-filled drumsticks ticking and raw vocals lead you in the record, which then turns into a dreadful sensation when the distorted bass comes and in full-on desperation when both guitars and screaming vocals come together. This song is quintessential La Dispute but, at the same time, already gives a hint, with its various dynamics and different parts, that this is not going to be a straightforward album. We are not going to encounter any classic song structure, but only intervals, melodies, emotions, parts that work by themselves and in harmonic ensemble.
This first act with its three tracks serve as a taster of what we will experience. Bass heavy riffs like in ‘Autofiction Detail’ are at the core of everything in this album. Adam Vass’ incredibly intense bass has this sound that is at the same time distorted but not overwhelming, almost delicate. The combination of the two guitars by Chad Sterenberg and Corey Stroffolino is beautiful with their two unique tones, the first more dreamy and echoing and the second more sharp and grungy. Everything kept together by some galloping drums, clean and precise by Brad Vander Lugt . And, of course, the vocal style of Jordan Dreyer that can only be linked to La Dispute.
Act II is entirely dedicated to ‘Environmental Catastrophe Film’ and for good reason. This is a track with real substance, serving as a telling of the history of Grand Rapids seen through the personal accounts of a family. Past and present, different timeframes and consequently very distinct sections in the songs too. This is a long rollercoaster, filled with words that transport you to a musical cinematic experience. The track climaxes in the middle with some of the heaviest screams we heard from Jordan in a long time. The quiet and the loud keep alternating each other until everything ends in a heavenly one note guitar solo at the end. This song could be seen as the pumping heart in the middle carrying the whole album.
Act III is a more sharp edged section of the record, with a bleak connotation and a common theme of returning to the womb. ‘Self Portrait Backwards’ with its grungy acoustic guitar topped with some poetic spoken words and a deep voice has a Leonard Cohen vibe to it, and the added trumpet played by Chad gives a quirky element to it. ‘The Field’, surprises you with some stoner, dark guitars that we never heard before and ‘Steve’ will make any old fan happy if they were looking for that angry old sound.
We’re reaching the end with Act IV and its three songs. ‘I Dreamt of a Room With All My Friends I Could Not Get In’ is one you cannot forget. The intensity is perceivable, with an incredibly emotional voice that spits out the way Jordan sees himself, raw and harsh. And finally Act V concludes with ‘No One Was Driving The Car’, a gothic ballad with added arches topped with La Dispute’s signature spoken word followed by ‘End Times Sermons’, a conclusion with subtle hoarse vocals, some acoustic guitar, nature ambient sound and a final spoken sample on how as a society we need to re-learn to care for one another, on how, regardless of how rich we are, we are perhaps the poorest in our soul we’ve ever been. Finishing quiet as quiet was the beginning.
No One Was Driving The Car concludes with this fear of the unknown of what we’re leaving in this world for our kids and grandkids. This has been a whole journey into a human life. Looking back at the past of our family, our city, ourselves, what is left for us and for the future? What did we control? And, can we take some control back? Musically, it has been a ticking bomb of different dynamics, lyrically a sad account of a city, a family, a person. La Dispute put so much work into a project so ambitious yet so raw and did so with such attention to detail to not only its instrumental and vocals, but also its conceptual art, visuals, videos, which make it all something that cannot be disregarded as just another album. On top of everything the whole writing process has been filmed and documented by the director Martin and it’s available to watch on Youtube in chapters. Almost an essential watch to get intimate with the band and understand the extent these five guys went to in order to conceive these 14 tracks filled with self reflection, apathy, nostalgia and a glimpse of hope.