Remo Drive

Remo Drive began in 2013 when brothers Erik and Stephen Paulson were in high school. They noticed other students wearing shirts for the band Title Fight and were introduced to their music through mutual friends. Erik and Stephen both got interested in the band and decided they wanted to pursue a similar sound in their own music. They had previously played in a handful of other bands throughout high school but never had a solidified lineup, temporarily recruiting friends and switching around instruments for whenever they performed live.

The band first earned its name when bassist Stephen Paulson decided to spontaneously incorporate the drum brand, Remo, into a band name.^[2][3] The band subsequently started recording demos in 2013, also known as EP 1. Without a designated drummer in the band, the two brothers both recorded drums themselves for this first release. This EP was later taken down from the internet a few months later, again leaving the band without any publicly available music. Stephen later met original drummer Sam Mathys while they were both in a different band, and quickly recruited him for Remo Drive. In late 2014, the band released a compilation of songs on Bandcamp under the title Demos 2014. These recordings were the band's first time recording with Mathys, and compiled two previously released EPs Away and Stay Out Longer, as well as various demos recorded throughout the year that the group would burn onto CDs and hand out at shows.

In 2015 Mathys left the band due to creative differences, and Erik met the band's second drummer, Austin Voigt, through playing in a band called Closer to Yellow.^[4] That same year, Remo Drive released their first music on a record label, with the EP Wait For The Sun on Lost State Records, along with splits with the bands Unturned^[3] and Weathered. The band's 7" single Breathe In / Perfume was later released the same year on Really Rad Records and Endless Bummer Records. In early 2016 Voigt left the band due to personal hardship, but remained on good terms with the brothers, while Mathys amended relations with the two and rejoined the band.

In March 2016 they began working on their first LP. The band approached the writing process for this album differently from their previous work, feeling that their previous music was too derivative and similar to other emo bands^[5], and instead pursued creating their own unique sound while also taking inspiration from a wider range of different genres and artists. In March 2017, Remo Drive self-released their first full-length album, Greatest Hits, featuring tracks "Yer Killin Me", "Art School", and "Crash Test Rating". Their debut album gained critical success and earned the band a larger audience.^[6][7][8]

On February 10th, 2018, Mathys announced on social media that he had been removed as a member of Remo Drive in December 2017. The Paulson brothers followed with their own statement, stating that the "situation did not work for the three of us as a band"^[9] and creative differences as the reason once again. Later that month on February 23rd, 2018, the band announced that they had signed with Epitaph Records. This announcement came alongside the release of a single, Blue Ribbon, from their EP Pop Music, which was released on March 9. This would be the last Remo Drive release to feature Sam Mathys.

In late August 2018, Remo Drive announced that they were planning on recording a new album that December. On April 22, 2019, the band released a double A-side single, "Two Bux/The Grind". In May of that year, Erik Paulson announced that he hid promo CDs of the next single around Twin Cities, Minnesota, before releasing "Around the Sun" as a single on May 14. On May 31, 2019, Remo Drive released their sophomore album Natural, Everyday Degradation on May 31.

In late 2019, Remo Drive posted on social media that they were working on their third album, A Portrait of an Ugly Man, which was properly announced on April 28, 2020 for a June release, along with the first single, "Star Worship" on the same day. Two other singles were released, "Ode to Joy 2" on May 18, 2020 and "A Flower and a Weed" on June 17, 2020. The album released on June 26, 2020, along with another single "Easy as That".

In early April 2023, Remo Drive announced on social media that they were wrapping up production of their latest album. On October 31, 2023, the band released their first single, "No, There's No Hope For You", from their then-untitled upcoming album. Their next single, "New In Town", was released on December 6, 2023. The title of the album, Mercy, was officially announced on January 12, 2024, along with the title track "Mercy" as the lead single. On February 7, 2024, the band released "All You'll Ever Catch", the final single prior to the album's release. The album released on February 23, 2024.^[10]

On October 18, 2024, Mercy received a deluxe reissue.^[11]

Remo Drive's earlier work is typically described as emo^{[12][13][14][15]} that incorporates elements of pop punk, dance punk, post-hardcore, and in some tracks/recordings grunge and punk rock, influenced by bands including Title Fight, PUP, Jeff Rosenstock, Vampire Weekend, and Weezer^[16]. The group has also self described themselves as emo and associated themselves with the emo revival.^[17] In recent years, the group has progressed into a more indie rock inspired sound with influence from power pop, indie folk, chamber pop, classic rock, and hard rock. The band has listed a number of acts as influences including Queens of the Stone Age, Father John Misty, The Killers, Queens of the Stone Age and The Beach Boys.^[18][19]

Current official members

• Erik Paulson – vocals, guitar (2013–present)
• Stephen Paulson – bass (2013–present)

Studio members

• Sam Becht – drums, percussion (live, 2018–present; studio, 2019–present)

Former members

• Sam Mathys – drums, percussion (2013–2014, 2016–2018)
• Austin Voigt – drums, percussion (2014–2016)

Touring members

• Tim Houston - guitar (2024-present)^[20]

Former touring members

• Zack Cummings – guitar (2016–2019)
• Braeden Keenan – drums, percussion (2016, 2018)
• Lee Tran – saxophone, synthesizer, tambourine (2017–2019)
• William J Leach – guitar (2019)
• Dane Folie – guitar (2019-2024)