Larissa Tandy puts a toxic relationship in the rear-view mirror in her powerful, purposeful new single and video Drive — premiering exclusively on Tinnitist.
An earthy roots-rocker that belongs on a playlist between Lucinda Williams and Roy Orbison, Drive’s bouncy beat, rich melodies and vintage touches are offset by Tandy’s defiantly dark vocals and dramatic lyrics about a resilient woman who packs her bag and heads off into the night, tired of “being a passenger in my own life.” Fittingly, the creation of the song was a journey all on its own for the Australian-born singer-songwriter, who divides her time between Vancouver, Nashville and Melbourne.
“Drive was written in East Nashville with my friend, Texan songwriter Van Darien,” Tandy says. “Another friend had set us up to write together, and this was the first day we met. I sat in Van’s living room tuning my guitar, and she brought me an iced coffee to which she had added coconut flavoured La Croix. I was so confused and fascinated by it, I was taken with it! The moment felt almost psychedelic. And when my mind finally came back to the room we were sitting in, Van was playing a C chord and singing the word ‘drive’ over it. I asked her, ‘Where is she driving?’ and the song started to unfold. While we were writing it, I was imagining Roy Orbison singing it, because I love him and I’m always trying to write for the way he sings.”
The second of three singles Tandy is releasing this summer, Drive will be officially released on Wednesday, June 23 on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes and other digital retailers and streaming services worldwide. Like its predecessor Sirens, the song showcases the emotional intensity of Tandy’s voice, the urgent poetry of her writing, and the untamed cool of her persona.
From humble beginnings in rural Australia, raising herself on stolen Aretha Franklin and Patti Smith records, Tandy has mined her difficult life for potent stories and spun them into songs that made their way to radio in America, the U.K., and Canada. Within a few short years, she has doggedly beat a path for herself, by touring relentlessly, playing official showcases at Kansas City’s Folk Alliance and Nashville’s Americanafest.
Her debut album The Grip spent four months on the U.S. Americana charts, reached No. 2 on the Canadian college radio chart, and attracted praise from almost every corner of the globe. Awards followed — namely the prestigious Nashville Songwriter Residency, which Tandy used to carve out a place for herself in Nashville’s competitive writing scene. Tapped by artists for her tough affect and muscular writing, she placed a number of cuts which went on to secure chart positions in Australia and the U.K.
Watch Drive above, hear more from Larissa Tandy below, and go along for the ride at her website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
