Columbus scuzz-rock band Son of Dribble’s latest release Son of Drib Against the Wind is a warbly warp through raw art rock that sometimes takes its dear time saying what it has to say. Four-or-five word phrases which sound like they could fit a quick-witted chorus stretch out over 30 seconds, disappearing into a wall of noise. Never to be referenced again. It almost sounds like song ideas being thrown into a vacuum, which is a gorgeously fresh stance of approaching songwriting. You’re getting an art-rock album from an art-rock band, yet Son of Drib seems to be the outlier in a heap of releases since 2016. 

When setting this album apart from past projects from the band, it’s easiest to first look at its ambitiousness. Son of Dribble’s lineup consists of Andy Clager (vocals), Vicky Mahnke (drums), and Darren Latanick (guitar). Recently, the group added another guitarist to the mix: Mike Nosan. Catching the cassette release at Spacebar in Columbus in March, it was noticeable how the raw, aspiring emotion poured over from record to stage. (The band has played three “release” shows since, but the album came to Bandcamp at the beginning of May.) Clager stammered around and off stage, happlessly dragging the microphone cable along for the ride as well as any unpredictable front person would. 

Son of Drib starts off with four striking guitar tones before descending into a synthy warp of madness. “There’s moms and there’s dads/Some dogs and some cats/Everyone’s mad,” Clager swoons. We’re then immediately thrown into one of the album’s highlight hits: “Dusty.” It matches the four-in-a-half-minute runtime of the intro track but has a little more pep to it. The transition is necessary before launching into one of the few moments when this LP feels like it’s going so insanely fast that the wheels could give in at any moment. Most songs are a beautiful slog, except when we get the random – yet welcoming – uptempo tracks such as “Hard to Care,” “Shed,” “Natalie Swords,” and the album’s cutting, jagged closer, “Angels.” Both styles are proficiently crafted, though. In fact, any song on the first half of this record could be argued as a hit; no matter the speed.

Son of Drib Against the Wind by Son of Dribble

It’s a pool of emotions that has Clager swimming through poetic ramblings, pushing words out of his mouth as he feels. “Candy Boy’s” screeching, delicate drones are accompanied by some of Clager’s most exquisitely damingin lyrics on Son of Drib: “I hate you more than ever/Everything about you.” He both croons and moans these words. As far back as Clager’s voice is in comparison to the rest of the ensemble, every semi-distorted word is clear as day. “Dog Cage” is Son of Dribble at its most raw and jangly; it’s like lines of poetry being put through a blender on the lowest setting. While Mahnke’s snappy drumming and Clager’s roaming whisps certainly push the LP forward, the droning element – i.e. slide guitar and synthesizer – of this record is the most amusing and pleasing to come back to over many listens. It certainly accentuates the idiosynchronicity of those two. Clager’s words are less amusing if he’s not drawing them out over guitar drones.

Son of Drib is an exercise of maximalist garage art. 2016’s full-length clocked in at just over 25 minutes over 11 tracks. A year later, Son of Dribble ripped through Dogcage in 17 minutes. Three songs were under two minutes long. This release clocks in at 13 songs over 48 minutes. The reason you should be attracted to this album, however, is tied into the idea that the group is stretching their musical muscles, not the running time. Is it an effect of proximity? Son of Dribble recorded the album at an abandoned house that still is pumping out electricity, meaning that this recording space allowed for more financial and mental freedom while producing and recording the album. It faces demolition in the future, but for now, the band will continue pumping inspiration out of it.

The house came in handy over the pandemic when musicians had both very limited recording options and a heavy loss of income. Much like the pandemic, the house will also eventually come to an end. For now, it remains a safe haven for ambitious music that has exceeded and pushed the band’s expectations. “Thank you kind world/For all you’ve given me,” one of the only times we hear Clager looping lyrics, is just more proof that Son of Dribble is continuously pumping the darkness in pop with some of the best rhythm around Columbus.