‘Summer Mixtape’ Review: Summer Is Over for The Driver Era

Steeped in summer vibes, and following a successful string of concerts from their ongoing world tour, The Driver Era has returned with their third studio album, “Summer Mixtape.” Brothers and former R5 bandmates Ross and Rocky Lynch debuted their pop-funk duo in 2018, finding their niche in flirty lyrics and instrumentation that skirts the border between pop and alternative rock. However, their new album, released on Sept. 16, makes one fact abundantly clear: Summer is over. Uncomfortably contrived in its effort to revive carefree, beachy vibes, and to reproduce fresh derivations of their previous lyrics, this album falls flat — far short of the electric charm captured by prior fan favorite songs.

Released first as a single on July 28, “Malibu” is meant to be the unifying track on the album. While its celebration of days spent in paradise resonates with the summer vibe the duo is striving for, the song simply feels like a futile return to familiar territory. Replete with dreamy verses about starry summer nights, and driven by Ross’s chorus, “Wish I could stay with you / Stay here in Malibu,” the song is tangibly reminiscent of the band’s top two tracks on Spotify, “A Kiss” and “Afterglow,” which also feature anthemic, dance-able choruses and coy lyrics.

Undeniably, Ross’s charm is The Driver Era’s bread and butter. With over 2.1 billion views on “Ross Lynch” tagged TikTok videos, fans are evidently obsessed with the former Disney Channel heartthrob’s charismatic concert footage, whether he’s busting out in a dance move or flashing a sly smile. However, perhaps it is long-time fans’ surprise at seeing Ross Lynch command a concert crowd as a singer, rather than as a teen star dancing atop neon surf boards in the 2013 “Teen Beach Movie” that accounts for the band’s social media impact thus far. Relying heavily on the sensual energy of these concert performances, “Malibu” is not the only song that feels derivative of previous work. New tracks such as “Fantasy,” and “Bronco,” also prompt the same question of whether there is more than this single dimension to The Driver Era’s lyrics and style.

After listening to the entire album, the answer remains unclear. What is apparent, however, is that the Lynch brothers have been asking themselves the same question. Various songs on the album demonstrate an intentional and dramatic divergence in style, and even the album title — as a “mixtape” — is a signal that the band is actively seeking ways to expand the musical niche they have carved.

For example, “The Money” and “Keep Moving Forward” hit rather clumsily on the electronic dance vibe, with thrumming bass, heavy beats, and repetitive lyrics. On the other hand, more mellow, indie-rock reminiscent songs like “I got you, you got me,” and “Turn the music up,” appear to be differentiated from the rest of the album with both lower-case song titles and lead vocal performances by Rocky Lynch. “Back to You,” as an electric guitar driven ballad, is effectively slower and more overwrought than previous singles, except now resting on such cliché sentiments as looking for “love in all the wrong places.”

Standing out from the rest of the album,“Like a King” is the one song that shows hope of success in the band’s apparent musical exploration. On this track, the brothers combine cute lyrics and an extended metaphor about royalty with an experimental rhythmic change midway through the song. “So why don’t we find a place by the sea?” Lynch asks of his “queen” as the lead melody diverges from the syncopated drum beat. Adding a clipped chuckle between verses, his voice wafts off in an echo effect before crisply snapping back into the foreground. “Like a King” feels like a song to blast on the radio with the windows down, even though the beachy vibes it exudes would have resonated far better if the album had been released a few months earlier, in the true heat of the summer.

Ultimately, “Summer Mixtape” suffers from its post-summer September release date and demonstrates the shortcomings of staying too close to the successful trends of prior albums. Unfortunately, their experimental styles veer off course unsuccessfully as well, but the album still presents the potential for new directions in future work. While their popularity on social media and live stage-presence is undeniable, the band’s next choices will be essential in determining whether The Driver Era will remain entrenched in their current musical niche or will fade like those sun soaked days of a summer past.