On Friday, Feb. 14, indie band Autumn Drive released their latest single “Million Pieces.” The track, a little over two-and-a-half minutes long, has a chugging rhythm backed by Aiden Parker’s vibrant guitar riffs, all grounded in Joe Gauvin’s steady drumbeat and Patrick Igoe’s bassline. Lead singer Charlie Gamache leads the pack as he croons, “Fall out of touch / Who knew that it could mean that much / When I’m lost, out of love / And in a million pieces…”
Autumn Drive was established in 2023, when Gamache, Parker and Igoe, who were all in different bands at the time, decided to start recording together. According to Parker, it was at Gamache’s behest that the band members started to collaborate. “We’d all just kind of met each other through the music scene down in New Bedford,” Gamache said. “But yeah, it turned pretty quickly from just recording music to playing shows within a couple of months.”
“Million Pieces” is a breakup song, the lyrics lamenting the growing distance between a couple who was once in love. It has since become one of the most popular pieces on the band’s setlist at gigs. Gamache said that Autumn Drive faced a few challenges when trying to release the song, including a deal with a record label that did not come to pass. As a result, the song’s release was met with relief from the band members.
“We were just waiting to put it out for months. It’s had its little own journey,” Gamache said, upon releasing the song nearly two years after writing it for the first time. The song was meant to be recorded for the band’s extended play, “Don’t Take a While,” but was ultimately released as an independent single and will be included on the band’s new studio album this summer.
“Don’t Take a While” has also spawned songs including “Easy Going,” “Work Out” and “Path Song.” “Easy Going” opens with a hum, and the vocals are accompanied by a bright lead guitar sound. Its upbeat melody is somewhat belied by its introspective lyrics: “Falling in love is not easy / Even on the second time round / Trying not to break my heart again…”
Gamache wrote “Work Out,” an equally contemplative piece, when he was reflecting upon the band and their journey thus far. It addresses lingering questions about where they would all go next, but ultimately, it ends on a hopeful note, as Gamache muses, “We’re playing shows, again and again, each day / Maybe it’ll work out …” This song has a distinct guitar sound, and ends on a long solo played by Parker.
“Path Song” is significant to Gamache, who wrote the song shortly after graduating from university. The song is the last on “Don’t Take a While’s” tracklist, and it explores Gamache’s journey of self-discovery as he navigates life and develops his own “path.” “I’m kind of telling myself … there’s no set plan of life, and trying to figure out my life after college,” Gamache said, adding that this song is a good conclusion to the EP.
Parker and Igoe cited The Backseat Lovers as a key influence on the band’s guitar sound for the EP’s songs. Parker said that although that band shaped his sound, he was also conscious not to sound too similar to them. “I don’t know if that came across that way, but at least [The Backseat Lovers] was what we were thinking about while we were making up [the guitar] parts,” Parker said.
A constant that has remained with the band throughout their recent journeys is their van – a 1997 Dodge Ram 3500 that was featured on the “Don’t Take a While” album cover. It has carried equipment and people alike, ferried the band from the Northeast to South Carolina, and has become a symbol of the band’s strength. “I get all the tolls in the mail and that is what that [van] means to me,” Igoe said jokingly.
Autumn Drive has had a busy few months. Besides the release of their new song, the Local Mojo-promoted group has been frequenting the many music scenes of New England. On Thursday, March 6, the band performed live at The Drake alongside Amherst-based band The Baxbys. It had been a long-time wish of Autumn Drive’s to perform with The Baxbys. “The crowd really seemed to like us, and … The Baxbys, the other band we played with … [their] music meshed with ours quite well,” Igoe said.
Later that month, they held shows at locations from Boston to New Hampshire, and on Friday, April 4, they performed at Spoke Live in Amherst. “[New Hampshire] was awesome, [it was] just [a] cool experience to go up and play for a totally different crowd,” Gamache said.
Upcoming performances include shows at Mojofest on Saturday, April 26, and the Iron Horse on Saturday, May 3, alongside fellow Local Mojo band Morrissey Blvd. Danny Richard, president of Local Mojo, expressed his excitement for the Iron Horse show in particular because of the venue’s high-quality nature combined with the band’s passion and performative flair.
Richard spoke about the band’s recent performances and how they have struck a chord with their audiences. “I feel like when you see a band and you see them playing, I mean, you see what they do to the audience, you kind of get an idea of like, ‘Okay, this band has something.’ … They’re different. They connect. And even if that sounds … corny or whatever, it’s very true,” he said.
Richard added that the more he has worked with the band, the more he has seen them grow musically and allow the audience to mesh with them at their shows. “There’s people that leave there just being like, ‘Whoa, like that was something I want to see again.’ That was something I’m very happy I saw,” Richard said.
But Autumn Drive’s work is far from done. Gamache teased the band’s new album, set to be released later this year. They also hope to perform more shows and tour over the summer. Whatever Autumn Drive does next, listeners and concertgoers should stay tuned, because in Gamache’s words: “We’ll be very busy.”
Kalana Amarasekara can be reached at [email protected].
