Obsession (The Driver Era album)

Last updated
Obsession
Obsession-cover-art.png
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 11, 2025
Label TOO
Producer
  • Rocky Lynch
  • Ross Lynch
  • Morgan Taylor Reid
The Driver Era chronology
Live at the Greek
(2023)
Obsession
(2025)
Singles from Obsession
  1. "You Keep Me Up at Night"
    Released: September 4, 2024
  2. "Don't Walk Away"
    Released: October 23, 2024
  3. "Touch"
    Released: December 17, 2024
  4. "Same Old Story"
    Released: January 28, 2025
  5. "Don't Take the Night"
    Released: February 26, 2025
  6. "Can't Believe She Got Away"
    Released: February 28, 2025
  7. "I'd Rather Die"
    Released: March 28, 2025

Obsession is the upcoming fourth studio album from American music duo the Driver Era, set to be released on April 11, 2025, by TOO Records. It serves as a follow up to their third studio album, Summer Mixtape (2022).

Contents

The album was preceded by the release of six singles: "You Keep Me Up at Night", "Don't Walk Away", "Touch", "Same Old Story", along with "Don't Take the Night" and "Can't Believe She Got Away". To promote the release, the duo embarked on their sixth concert tour, Obsession Tour, which started on January 18, 2025, in Auckland, New Zealand, and is set conclude in Los Angeles, United States, on July 18, 2025.

Background

On September 16, 2022, the band released their third studio album, Summer Mixtape , through TOO Records. [1] To promote the new album, the band embarked on a concert tour, Live On Tour '22, which ran for 57 cities across the US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. [2] They then announced they would be playing a sold-out concert at the Greek Theatre, in Los Angeles, on June 11, 2023, as part of their tour. The concert was recorded and released as their first live album, Live at the Greek (2023). [3]

Production and music

The song "Don't Walk Away" was described by Josh Sharpe, from the theater news website BroadwayWorld , [4] as a groovy, upbeat song in which the band lean towards a confessional lyric style. [5] Dom Vigil from Prelude Press described "Touch" as having a "dark, ambient bass that serves as a moody backdrop for Ross’ playful vocals". [6] The single "Same Old Story" was described by Dom Vigil from Prelude Press as having a "bouncy, upbeat offering that gives an early glimpse into the earworms that fans can expect from the upcoming album". He further noticed that the song draws inspiration from 80s tones, with a "mixture of synths and a bright backing guitar". [7]

Josh Sharpe from BroadwayWorld highlighted "immensely danceable groove" from the song "Don't Take the Night", noting its 70s disco inspirations. [8] He also wrote that the band displayed they "deft touch as producers" on the song "Can't Believe She Got Away", which features multiple layers of "subtle sounds that add up to create the crunchy, soulful groove". [8] Writing for Dork , Sam Taylor described the seventh single, "I'd Rather Die", as a "minimalist jazz-influenced" song in which the vocals are layered and supported by piano and drums. [9]

Release and promotion

On September 4, 2024, The Driver Era released a new song, "You Keep Me Up at Night", which served as the lead single for the upcoming album. [10] The song was accompanied by a music video, released two weeks later. [11] On October 23, 2024, the band released "Don't Walk Away" as the second single from Obsession. [12] "Touch" was released on December 17, 2024, [13] serving as the third single from the album. [14]

On January 28, 2025, The Driver Era announced their fourth studio album, titled Obsession, [15] which is set to be released on April 11, 2025. [16] Along with the album announcement, the band released "Same Old Story" as the fourth single. [17] The band asked fans, through their social media accounts, to vote which song should be released as the next single. [18] "Don't Take the Night" was released as the fifth single, on February 26, 2025, while "Can't Believe She Got Away" was released two days later. [8] One month later, on March 28, 2025, the Driver Era released the seventh single, and last to be released prior to the album, "I'd Rather Die". [9]

During one of their tour's stop, the band was interviewed for Billboard , when they gave the magazine an exclusive preview of their yet-to-be-released song, "The Weekend". Ross Lynch explained that the song talks about "wanting to connect with someone and be close to someone, but also having a fear of commitment". [19]

Tour

To promote the release, the duo embarked on their sixth concert tour, Obsession Tour, [20] which started on January 18, 2025, in Auckland, New Zealand [21] and is set conclude in Los Angeles, United States, on July 18, 2025. [22]

Track listing

All tracks are produced by Ross Lynch and Rocky Lynch, except where noted.

Obsession track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."You Keep Me Up at Night"
 2:18
2."Don't Walk Away"
  • Ratliff
  • Ross Lynch
  • Rocky Lynch
  • Morgan Taylor Reid
Reid2:32
3."Touch"
  • Ratliff
  • Ross Lynch
  • Rocky Lynch
 2:48
4."Same Old Story"
  • Ratliff
  • Ross Lynch
  • Rocky Lynch
  • Reid
 2:51
5."The Weekend"  2:32
6."Nothing Left to Lose"  3:21
7."Don't Take the Night"  3:49
8."I'd Rather Die"  2:19
9."Can't Believe She Got Away"  2:44
10."Everybody's Lover"  2:52
11."Better"  2:21
Total length:30:27

Release history

Obsession release history
RegionDateFormat(s)LabelRef.
VariousApril 11, 2025TOO Records [23]

References

  1. Siroky, Mary (September 16, 2022). "The Driver Era Break Down New Album Summer Mixtape Track by Track: Exclusive". Consequence . Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  2. Jacobs, Dana (August 21, 2022). "The Driver Era Bring Endless Summer Vibes on 2022 US Tour". Beyond the Stage. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  3. Levine, Nick (February 3, 2024). "The Driver Era: "The goal this year is to release three albums"" . Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  4. Sharpe, Josh (October 23, 2024). "The Driver Era Release Upbeat New Single 'Don't Walk Away'". BroadwayWorld . Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  5. Vigil, Dom (October 23, 2024). "THE DRIVER ERA Reveal New Single, "Don't Walk Away"". Prelude Press. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  6. Vigil, Dom (December 19, 2024). "THE DRIVER ERA Release New Single, "Touch"". Prelude Press. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  7. Vigil, Dom (January 28, 2025). "THE DRIVER ERA Announce New Album & Share New Single, "Same Old Story"". Prelude Press. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 Sharpe, Josh (February 28, 2025). "THE DRIVER ERA Release Double Singles 'Don't Take The Night' and 'Can't Believe She Got Away'". BroadwayWorld . Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  9. 1 2 Taylor, Sam (March 28, 2025). "The Driver Era have dropped their obsessive new single 'I'd Rather Die'". Dork . Retrieved April 1, 2025.
  10. "The Driver Era have released new single 'You Keep Me Up At Night' ahead of their European tour". Dork . September 4, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  11. "The Driver Era have released a video for their latest single 'You Keep Me Up At Night'". Dork . September 18, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  12. "The Driver Era have released a new track, 'Don't Walk Away'". Dork . October 23, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  13. "The Driver Era Drop New Single 'Touch' Ahead Of The Obsession Tour 2025". Fault Magazine. December 17, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  14. "The Driver Era have released a moody new single, 'Touch'". Dork . December 17, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  15. Anderson, Abby (January 29, 2025). "THE DRIVER ERA announce new album, 'Obsession,' coming in April". Melodic Magazine. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  16. Newton, Felicity (January 28, 2025). "The Driver Era have confirmed their fourth album 'Obsession' and shared new single 'Same Old Story'". Dork . Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  17. Vigil, Dom (January 28, 2025). "THE DRIVER ERA Announce New Album & Share New Single, "Same Old Story"". Prelude Press. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  18. Newton, Felicity (February 28, 2025). "The Driver Era have shared two new singles, 'Don't Take the Night' and 'Can't Believe She Got Away'". Dork . Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  19. Aniftos, Rania (March 12, 2025). "The Driver Era Previews Breezy New Song 'The Weekend'". Billboard . Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  20. "Ross & Rocky Lynch Go Global In 2025 With "The Driver Era: Obsession Tour" Including Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre June 2, 2025". 313 Presents . September 30, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  21. "Alternative rock duo The Driver Era announces their highly anticipated return to Australia & New Zealand for January 2025". Live Nation Entertainment . September 30, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  22. "The Driver Era Announces New Album 'Obsession' and North American Tour". Fault Magazine. January 28, 2025. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  23. Obsession release formats: