La Dispute - No One Was Driving The Car

Trying to grapple with the narrative strands of La Dispute’s latest opus - the ominously-titled ‘No One Was Driving The Car’ - is not for the faint of heart. Inspired after frontman and lyricist Jordan Dreyer read the phrase in a newspaper after a self-driving car crash caused several fatalities, the album is a vivid exploration of society’s growing dependence on technology and how it seems equally likely to cause our downfall. Like much of their discography so far, ‘No One Was…’ is a thoughtful, powerful reflection - this time, on modern life - which ebbs and flows through its concept to paint a detailed but still engaging picture.

From the stark opening gambit of ‘I Shaved My Head’, in all its sparse, intense glory, through to the lilting, tense spiral of ‘Environmental Catastrophe Film’, the band are experts at building songs that feel both fragile and claustrophobic all at once, helped along by the spool of Jordan’s intricate, intense poetry. There’s a more primal rawness this time around (whether in the heavy sense, as in ‘Man With Hands and Ankles Bound’, or its lighter moments) that was perhaps less present on its predecessor, 2019’s ‘Panorama’, which works to heighten the sense of desperation at the album’s heart. An affecting - albeit somewhat terrifying - portrait of how life could shift in the not-so-distant future, ‘No On Was…’ is perhaps the stark reminder we all need to hear.