Drewsyourfriend - “Prom, Forever” Inter-Review
- Dylan Nicole Lawson
- Nov 5, 2022
- 9 min read
Updated: Nov 14, 2022
Release date: October 14th, 2022
October was, simply put, one of the wildest months of 2022 for releases. Bands of all different backgrounds put out immense quality and took their sound to new heights, with some even delving into territories outside of their usual style. Among these releases was a dear old friend whose music has always grown with more and more potential, and on this record it seems we’ve been given a bit of a new and improved version of his soundscaping. Formerly known as Inhansed, today we will talk all about Drewsyourfriend’s newest release, and debut of a new era, Prom, Forever!
Getting to catch up with the musical mind behind the project, himself, Drew Etheridge took the time to answer some questions regarding the new name, new direction, and what made Prom, Forever such a labor of love. I decided to pair this review with this 10-question interview with my own thoughts and admirations on the album. So, this sort of new writing style I’ve dubbed an Inter-Review will feature thoughts on the record, as well as questions and their respective answers below! Be sure to follow all links above to stream or purchase Prom, Forever and keep up with all things Drewsyourfriend!
The magic behind Prom, Forever is instantly enchanting as soon as opening track, “All The Way”, begins. This particular track, as well as others, possesses a handful of elements that feel reminiscent to acts such as Joji, Post Malone, Lil Peep, and perhaps even some hints of The 1975. A pop-centric atmosphere to the instrumentals is accompanied by some actually well-performed vocal performance conjured by Drew, whose forte in past releases under Inhansed was more known to be in the rap/hip-hop style. The album is not a total departure from hip-hop and rap tropes, but those pieces are much more fragmented and thrown to the backseat than this melodic, hook-driven layering of vocal work strewn across the album.
Hands-down, I consider “Homecoming”, which features collaborator Engine on the main hook, and “Once You Know” to be my favorites. “Homecoming” has a magical atmosphere that takes me back to the self-titled days of Blink-182, yet its finessed and dreamy instrumental help truly embolden it as a stand-out from its influences. The song feels mystic, yet melancholic and also hypnotizing. It’s an easy one to get lost in especially upon initial listen. It’s like a dream-pop track with hints of hip-hop and alternative music peppered in.
“Once You Know” highlights a sort of indie-rock, indie-pop crossover that I believe MGK intended to shoot for. Yet, here Drewsyourfriend is, crafting a finely polished product that almost effortlessly achieves it, even if he hadn’t aimed to. Forget about MGK, let’s get Drew headlining ALT+LDN instead. This one is sure to have your head bobbin’ and your feet dancing.
Another highlight, for me, is found in lyrical themes. In past efforts, Drew has never shied from hard-hitting, fairly visceral subjects ranging from coming from a broken home, complicated relationships, overcoming the daily struggles of depression, feeling lost and directionless in the way of building your life or career, and plenty of other relatable talking points. With Prom, Forever, however, the subject matter feels simultaneously matured, while also fun and playful. The lyrical depth is still present, with plenty of emotional weight to flex upon the heart, but it’s almost as if it’s been turned into more of a sing-along style of performance. Drewsyourfriend took pain and made it catchy. Someone must be listening to The Cure lately!
With a runtime of about 22 minutes, Prom, Forever does a lot with very little, so to speak. The tracklist boats 7 tracks, is under half an hour, and still somehow reiterates Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, in that the vibe of the album feels like a lucid dream you’re so sure is real and absolutely feel hooked into, only to wake to an alarm clock and not-as-fascinating reality. Thankfully, with the help of modern technology, you can instantly replay this dream over and over again to your heart’s desire. With that said, stream Prom, Forever now, pick up a copy, and immerse yourself in the Drew Dreamland!
It’ll make the perfect soundtrack as we touch base with Drewsyourfriend himself below:
Congratulations on Prom, Forever! As someone who has followed your music for awhile now, I think it’s safe to say you’ve found some of your strongest songwriting yet here. Were there any specific places of influence, be it other artists, life events, people, or otherwise, that you drew from? (No pun intended)
Thank you so much! I’m super glad you think so, it absolutely means the world to me. As for influences with this album, when I started writing it I was very heavily encapsulated with Michael Jackson’s “Off The Wall” album. It’s a record I’ve loved since I was a kid, but around two years ago I found myself feeling and identifying with it more than I ever had previously. Coming off of my 2020 album “icicle crown”, I felt the weight of a super dark period in my life become lifted off of me. Since then I have done a lot of self-reflection and gone through so many life changes, relationships, homes, friendships and the like. Instead of falling into that depression and helplessness I expressed on “icicle crown”, I fully embraced it all and rolled with the punches “Off The Wall” style! “When the world is on your shoulder // Gotta straighten up your act and boogie down”.
The name change from Inhansed to Drewsyourfriend feels indicative of a reintroduction of sorts. How did the name change come about and is this any reflection of a particular evolution you’ve entered as an artist?
I definitely think the name change is a reflection of evolution. For a long time I felt like the name Inhansed just did not fit me or what I wanted to convey. It felt like me saying “I’m better than you, I’m greater”, when my music and my personal feelings don’t reflect that at all. I have always tried to be as honest and true to myself as possible when creating my solo music. I want every song to feel like I am right beside you telling the story, and I want everyone who listens to it to walk away with the same feeling they get after a great talk with their best friend. I thought DrewsYourFriend was perfect for conveying all of that. It’s also a lot easier to spell!
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard Big Drew get a little more pop-indie-centric. Your 2018 classic, “Leave”, feels like it maybe found expansion and preference in style for the new material. That’s not to say it all sounds the same or anything, but, was “Leave” a catalyst for this more hook-driven style you’ve adapted? Even with hip-hop/rap elements still finding place on the new material, this really does feel like a “New Drew”, so to speak, at least as the music is concerned. What made you want to switch musical direction and what shifts do you think were intentionally made if any?
Definitely, I think “Leave” was a huge help for me being able to find my voice in music. When I was creating songs that were a lot less melodic and focused more so on more dense lyrical content, I felt like I was losing a lot of people’s attention. “Leave” was definitely a song that showed me that the melody and rhythm of a track is just as important as the lyrical content. Finding that balance is super difficult and I’m still trying to figure it all the way out, but I think making something people can get lost in and vibe out to is just as important as making something that they could relate to and feel validated by. I’m hoping to do both at once!
Are there any lyrical subjects you tried to shy away from for this album?
Things got very dark on my “icicle crown” album. I was in a very helpless and dark point in my life, so it made a lot of sense that the content came out that way. But when making “Prom, Forever”, I really wanted to make an album showing that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Yeah, maybe there’s a breakup in the light, and as weird as it sounds, maybe you miss some of the dark moments, but life goes on! I approached this album the same way I do all of them; as autobiographical and honest as I can possibly be. Something I can point to and say this is what I was going through when I was 22. With that being said though, a lot of those depressing feelings and suicidal thoughts that I felt in 2020, were not at the forefront of my mind or my emotions in 2022, so I strayed away from those topics, naturally.
You seem to have adapted a sort of ‘80s/‘90s aesthetic and character to your image. Any reason, aside from preference, for this?
I’ve always been drawn to those aesthetics! I associate the late 90s and early 2000s with childhood, purity and just no strings attached happiness. I really wanted to convey those feelings with this album and with my image going forward. I’ve really gotten into losing some of the self awareness for a piece of purity, if that makes sense. Yes I’m a giant mulleted fat dude, dancing in a tracksuit and wearing heart glasses, but who cares, because it makes me happy! I want everyone to feel that way.
You worked with some really cool people on this record. Engine’s vocal work on my personal favorite, “Homecoming”, sounds almost like the self-titled days of Blink-182. What did the studio sessions look like for Prom, Forever? Did you have a producer, produce it yourself, etc.?
The album took so long to finish! I began messing with more melodic songs during the midst of working on “icicle crown” and quickly realized I had to finish that album before making the transition. I recorded multiple demos and alternate versions of the songs in Florida, tried to finish as much as I could there, and finalized the rest of the tracks after moving to Indiana. Engine is actually a friend I’ve known for years, he started showing me demos and tracks he was working on last year and I was blown away. I knew his voice and writing style would be perfect for the project so I asked him if he’d lend his beautiful voice and he agreed! That was actually one of the first tracks I had finished for the album, and the only song on the album I produced myself! Most of the other tracks were produced by really great artists who I found on the internet, so it wasn’t very collaborative, but I am still super thankful for their talent! Finally, every song was mixed and mastered by the phenomenal SeanRyGotHeat, who I’ve known since I was a young lad making parody music. Sean also produced the final track!
Any hopeful future collaborations you’d like to accomplish?
Too many to name! I am really excited to start working on different projects with close friends and collaborators again. Engine and I are definitely going to do some more stuff. I want to do more with Nick XL, Noah Beatz, Graffik, Asylum 213, Decembr, and some other friends I haven’t even gotten to work with yet! Aside from that though, I’ve always thought it would be fun to do a record with Chills. I genuinely think our styles would go great together and I think whoever is listening would HAVE to be smiling or laughing by the end of it, and that sounds amazing.
How does it feel to navigate a post-pandemic-lockdown world and what do you think the future of live music will look like, even if not much changes at all?
It is so hard to say, especially when living in Florida, nobody gave masks or mandates or anything in between a chance! I’m definitely still trying to be safe and cautious, but I am itching to go to shows and live events more than I ever have in my entire life. If everyone can do it in a safe way, I think live music will have a huge resurgence in the coming years. People miss it way too much!
When can we expect the Drew tour?
As soon as someone does a TikTok dance to one of these songs and it goes viral! I would love to tour and I will perform at any venue that’ll have me! I just want to wait for the right time to get into the touring stuff.
Any takeaways / words to the fans / future plans to hint at or announce / people you’d like to thank?
I want to thank you for giving me the time of day and always being a great friend! I appreciate you more than words can explain. As far as future stuff, I definitely want to do more videos, a lot more visual content. I already feel like my album is old news, so I definitely plan on outdoing that at some point and I am so excited to grow and start this new musical journey. I am so thankful to my beautiful friends and family that have supported and entertained my dreams thus-far and I really hope I can make you all proud. If you’ve ever listened to a snippet of a song I’ve made, or if you’ve given one of the videos a click, from the bottom of my heart thank you so much. I want to make people feel seen, validated, happy and understood, that’s what I plan to do! I love you!
Be sure to stream or purchase Prom, Forever at any of the links above, at the start of this article! Huge shoutout to Drewsyourfriend for taking the time to help make this long article and interview happen!
Author: Dylan Nicole Lawson
Comments