The Driver Era’s new song “A Kiss” is different from the rest of the songs put out by the duo, Rocky and Ross Lynch, but falls into their unique genre of music seamlessly. 

The beginning of the song was captivating and entrancing. The technological, soft notes felt as if they were hidden in the background giving them the retro, vinyl record feeling.

Soft clapping and flowing vocals come in, changing the vibe from listening to your favorite band on record to a teenage boyband playing in your neighbor’s garage; it added that grunge and raw music type beat.

The lyrics of the song started suddenly, waking you up from the trance the first thirty seconds put you in. Sometimes, it was hard to understand the lyrics, but it added to the vibe. Ross’s vocals made the illusion that the tone and lyrics told a story, a story that if you were willing to follow, you could.

The ups and downs of the notes carry out the story. Every single word has a meaning, and although the mood of the song is that of a rebellious teen, you can tell every note was planned out down to the time signature.

The chorus is repetitive but to the perfect extent: nothing in the song feels too excessive. The repetition of the chorus makes the song stick in your head. The whole song feels flowy, retro, grunge, and light at the same time. 

If you were to hear “A Kiss” on the radio, no doubt you would be at least nodding your head to the beat or tapping your foot. It doesn’t matter what type of music you’re into, there is a sprinkle of everything thrown into the recipe that makes up this unique song.

The background vocals make the song everything it is just as much as the lead vocals do. These background noises make the song feel chill and improvised, the conversation adding to the main lyrics ties everything together.

The song ends the way it started, making it feel like I’m caught in a loop. The four-minute and thirty-two-second song never felt too long or too short. It left me feeling like I had heard exactly what I needed to without expecting any more or any less. 

Altogether, the song met expectations but also added some surprising twists. It fit the alternative music genre perfectly but not in a way that made the song feel like every other song found in the genre. I wouldn’t listen to the song on loop only because it is repetitive and it’s a long song, but I now listen to the song off and on. I threw it into a couple of playlists, and it makes me feel like I want to dance. It’s definitely everything I thought it would be and more.