Review / 200 Words Or Less
At the Drive-In
In•ter a•li•a

Rise (2017) Kevin Fitzpatrick

At the Drive-In – In•ter a•li•a cover artwork
At the Drive-In – In•ter a•li•a — Rise, 2017

Interminable slack-ass Omar Rodriguez-Lopez only released 12 solo albums this year on Ipecac Records. So to alleviate the presumed guilt, he’s gotten the old band back together again. That band is At the Drive-In and as far as “reunion” albums go, In•ter a•li•a is a monster. 

While not quite a complete reunion, in a presto-change-o move, guitarist Jim Ward has been replaced by Sparta bandmate Keeley Davis, who does a more than admirable job keeping pace with Lopez.

In•ter a•li•a is the first album of new material for At the Drive-In since 2000’s Relationship of Command and the band, still fronted by human dynamo Cedric Bixler-Zavala haven’t lost a single joule of energy. Tearing through tunes like "Governed by Contagions" and "Incurably Innocent", the band has clearly gained enough momentum and goodwill through their absence that one can only hope and pray that AtDI is back for good.

At the Drive-In – In•ter a•li•a cover artwork
At the Drive-In – In•ter a•li•a — Rise, 2017

Related news

Record Store Day: At The Drive In

Posted in Records on October 21, 2017

Recently-posted album reviews

Elway

Nobody’s Going To Heaven
Red Scare (2025)

There’s a specific kind of punk record that doesn’t try to inspire you, doesn’t bother offering solutions, and doesn’t pretend things are going to work out in the end. Nobody’s Going To Heaven is firmly planted in that tradition. Elway returns sounding less interested in rallying cries and more invested in documenting collapse as it happens. They cover every collapse … Read more

Heather The Jerk

Very Motorcycle EP
Goodbye Boozy (2025)

Heather The Jerk is a project from Madison, WI musician Heather Sawyer -- a scrappy punk band with garage and pop influences running rampant through the peppy, raw sound. This 4-song EP is called Very Motorcycle, released about a year after the Not Very Motorcycle tape. I have no idea what the phrase means, yet it sets a distinct mood. … Read more

Toys That Kill

Triple Sabotage
Recess (2026)

If you were lucky enough to catch Toys That Kill live last year, you were maybe treated to a set that included classic F.Y.P bangers like “Come Home Smelly” and “Jerkoff”. I made the trip down to Seattle to see them with Off With Their Heads specifically for this reason and was in no way disappointed. I had somehow managed … Read more