Take the Time to Heal with University Drive’s Latest Release

By Phil Hawkins

With every great loss, there must be a reckoning. When the condolences stop coming and the world at large continues to turn, there’s an assessment of damage, an unflinching inventory that begs to know: what’s left when the dust settles? This is the question, frontman Ed Cuozzo, wants answered on on HEAL, the seismic third LP from University Drive.

University Drive released HEAL back in August and it was criminally overlooked by many (myself included). However, that doesn’t mean that it’s not memorable or noteworthy. 2022 has been a veritable battleground in the music community at large as so many bands have been releasing new material that was birthed out of the pandemic in 2020/2021. At times it has been hard to keep up with so many new releases by so many great artists, but what a time to be alive!

HEAL opens with “Forever” which has a bit of a haunting intro before the track kicks in to gear at the 0:40 mark. As an opening track it is moody and creates a very brooding atmosphere. It’s a solid track that helps set the tone for the album (and the bass tone really drives it home) despite it having a slower tempo than majority of the rest of the album. “Ending” follows with a driving bass riff that carries the track. The moodiness carries over from “Forever” but “Ending” is far less brooding while crafting an appealing audible aesthetic and Cuozzo’s vocal delivery is on point.

“Residual Self Image” keeps a similar tempo found on “Ending” but manages to have a musical delivery that could be comparable to something found on Stone Temple Pilots Tiny Music….. album. It feels remarkably layered but keeps an almost simplicity to it at the same time. “Somewhere to Hide” continues to carry the late 90’s/early 00’s alt rock vibe that are prominent on the whole album, but not in an outdated manner. Cuozzo and company manage to keep all of these elements in tact while giving them a modern sense of relevancy. “Ceiling” is a solid mid-tempo track that has some soaring guitars strewn within as it peaks and valleys.

“Carry It” and “Sabotage/Crucify” hit the midpoint of the album and both are solid tracks with “Sabotage/Crucify” carrying a strong sense of broodiness once again. “Heaven’s Callback” once again carries a solid bass riff (and tone) that is the driving force behind the track. It is so refreshing to encounter such a bass centric album as the bass oftentimes gets lost in the overall mix without getting a solid moment to make an impression.

“Execution” and “Medicate” follow and both are on the slower aspect of things for the album and kind of get lost this far in to the album. Neither are bad by any means, but their placement seems a bit off in the overall cohesiveness or the eb and flow of the album. The title track, “Heal” comes next and could easily be compared to the sound that Jimmy Eat World fans have come to know and love. University Drive delivers a solid interpretation of said sound and makes it their own with minimal effort which speaks to the collective musical prowess that the band holds.

The album draws to a close with a bit of a whiplash effect as “Recorrect Everything” is a mostly acoustic track until the full band kicks in about half way through then fades back in to the acoustic only. “Contradiction” is the polar opposite of “Recorrect Everything” as it is more grungy and the vocals are far more abrasive than what is heard on the rest of the album. It is an interesting choice to close out the album and the abrasiveness of the vocals almost take away from the remarkable nature of the track. It is well-crafted musically and stands out amongst the rest of the album, but as a closer it is dishearteningly abrupt.

University Drive packs a strong alternative punch akin to Jimmy Eat World all while merging with the moody dissonance of Sunny Day Real Estate. If you are a fan of either of those or any bands that a very much in that same vein and you have not heard of University Drive you are missing out.

Overall, HEAL is a solid album from a band finding their collective sound it is the first album by University Drive to be a consistent lineup consisting of longtime live members Angelo Marruzzeli (guitar/vocals) and Ryan Grutt (bass/vocals) with the addition of Mark Naples (guitar) and Tony Kruska (drums) of COLD. While it may the band’s third album, knowing that lineup is now more solidified it will be great to see how they progress from this point forward.

HEAL is available now on all major streaming platforms or physical copies can be purchased via the band’s Bandcamp page.