Rock Regeneration

and Announce date at Heartbreakers in Southampton

October Drift has released their brand new single ‘Airborne Panic Attack’, their first taste of new material since their acclaimed debut album Forever Whatever and follow-up EP Naked released last year. Listen to the new single here.

“The majority of the lyrics for Airborne Panic Attack were written before the pandemic at the start of 2020, but it wasn’t until coronavirus hit that they were suddenly brought into focus and began making much more sense to me,” explains frontman Kiran Roy. “The mundanity of daily life in lockdown in contrast to the world falling apart lead me to look at the lyrics from a much less personal point of view.

It seems like horrific events are happening on an almost daily basis – whether it’s the imminent disaster of climate change or the countless humanitarian issues we face. We watch these apocalyptic visions with bizarre detachment, feeling momentarily sick and then continuing to scroll through cat videos and recipe ideas, ignoring that one day these events could be unfolding on our own doorsteps with our phones doing the filming.

Surrounding all this chaos is a backdrop of division, fuelled by politicians, media outlets, fear, and uncertainty. People spend their precious energy at each other’s throats online or shouting into their own social media echo chambers while nothing changes.

Airborne Panic Attack is the void between everyday life and these huge global problems that hang so heavy above us and feel so out of our hands. Ultimately though, it’s about not letting the weight destroy us and carving our own paths while we’re at it.

If I’m a lab rat, I’ll take this chance to give my best dance.”

‘Airborne Panic Attack’ is the first taste of new music since their 2020 EP Naked, a stripped-back and stunningly emotive collection of songs that showcases the band’s varied and virtuosic songwriting abilities. The EP followed the huge success of their debut album Forever Whatever, a heavy and pop-inflected rock gem that was met with widespread critical acclaim on release, garnering praise from the likes of NPR, Clash, Kerrang, Louder Than War, In Stereo Magazine, and many more.

Having already thrilled audiences at festivals including Glastonbury’s John Peel Stage, Reading & Leeds, and The Great Escape, as well as on a major European tour with Editors and a slot at Liverpool’s Sound City, the band are hitting the road at the end of September for an extensive run of dates across the UK, including a performance at London’s Boston Music Room.

October Drift 2021 UK Tour Dates
Oct 4th – Leadmill, Sheffield
Oct 5th – The Parish, Huddersfield
Oct 6th – The Mash House, Edinburgh
Oct 8th – Bootleg Social, Blackpool
Oct 9th – Jimmy’s, Liverpool
Oct 10th – The New Adelphi Club, Hull
Oct 11th – The Cookie, Leicester
Oct 12th – The Horn, St Albans
Nov 5th – Ramsgate Music Hall, Ramsgate
Nov 6th – Hope & Ruin, Brighton
Nov 7th – Heartbreakers, Southampton
Nov 8th – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff

Links
https://www.octoberdrift.com/
https://www.facebook.com/octoberdrift