Hit alt-indie rockers Investigator return with their new single Drift, and I must say this surprised me. I didn’t know what I was expecting but I wasn’t expecting the delightful blend of California late 70s to mid 80s pop-rock that I got, and this made me smile.

Adrian Drew, singer, songwriter and guitarist, has written a belter. The lyrics are about entitlement and expectation, with a “have-not” aiming their words at a “have”. In his own words: “It’s crazy how quick this song came together. I was mucking around on the guitar, looking for something interesting to latch onto, when I stumbled over a random ‘F chord’ shape. It was kind of melancholic, but also rather beautiful, almost hopeful. I could hear it all instantly and the first time the whole band got together to run through the song, we unanimously knew it was the next single.”

Bringing in Adam Morton-Mason (guitars), David Crowhen (bass), and Craig van Kan (drums) – all experienced musicians and members of widely known bands in their own right – this track was put together at Whangaparaoa’s Soundscape Studios, courtesy of engineer extraordinaire Kane Bennett.

You may already know that I like to bring up bands that these new releases put me in mind of, albeit purely for common term of reference to what I’m describing. None of these releases come across as copying or paying overt homage. And so, I certainly got a Cars instrumentation vibe, and a Tom Petty vocal vibe, plus there was some Cheap Trick in the melody too. The great mix and master, coupled with the commercially friendly chorus, however, takes me into the end of the 80s and early-mid 90s, and the UK’s fabulous indie legends The Lightning Seeds. The crescendo/fade-out absolutely got me thinking of Ian Broudie and that era. This is a compliment, believe me.

If you’re a fan of the energetic, surf-rock sound brought into 2023, you’re going to love this. It’s going to go down well live, and on a roadie. At a party, out for a run with the pods up high. Get behind Investigator because this is another hit single. Great, thought-through lyrics, a melody and orchestration that belies the confession of how little time it took to develop.

Great first impressions of Investigator on this site. Ten out of five.