From rebranding to climbing higher than ever before, Rain City Drive is a band in motion, not running from their past, but rising above it. With their new single “Ride or Die” hitting streaming, another tour on the books and plans for a steady flow of new music, they’re forging ahead with intention, one tour, one song and one real connection at a time.
Rain City Drive first formed under the name Slaves in early 2014, fronted by former lead singer Jonny Craig and joined by former drummer Zack Baker. The current lineup — consisting of frontman Matt McAndrew, guitarists Felipe Sanchez and Weston Richmond and bassist Colin Vieira — came together in early 2019 when McAndrew joined for a European tour, stepping in to replace Craig.
Fittingly, that first tour brought the band face-to-face for the first time in Manchester, England (a city nicknamed the “rain city” for its famously gloomy skies), marking a moment of serendipity that inspired their future name.
In 2020, the band announced that their final release under the name Slaves would be To Better Days, an album that McAndrew led vocally. In late 2021, the band officially changed their name to Rain City Drive, a decision that, like several artists in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, was motivated by the recognition of their poor choice of name. Shortly thereafter, the group dropped their first single, “Cutting It Close,” and announced their signing to Thriller Records, on which they would release their first album, aptly titled Rain City Drive, under their new moniker. This announcement marked a fresh chapter in both identity and sound and was a reminder, as the band put it, “to keep looking up even when there’s a cloud overhead.”
Since then, the band has gone on to release a deluxe edition of their self-titled 2023 debut and sophomore record Things Are Different Now last year. Amassing over 150 million streams worldwide and more than 1.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify, the band has garnered global recognition. On top of the streams and listeners, multiple songs of theirs have landed on Sirius XM’s Octane Big Uns Weekly Countdown, including their single “Cutting It Close” at number five, “Wish You The Best” at nine and “Medicate Me” featuring Rory Rodriguez of Dayseeker at #10.
“Ride or Die,” their first new single since Things Are Different Now, officially dropped July 10, a day before the start of their current Summer School Tour. It’s a gritty, harmony-drenched love song with unexpected influences. “It’s about being really dedicated to somebody. You’re their ride-or-die, here for them no matter what,” McAndrew says of the track. The song’s accompanying music video channels Mad Max chaos and adrenaline. “A lot of times these videos feel like an obligatory thing, but this came together really well,” he adds.
The first proper tour for Rain City Drive didn’t happen until 2022, when the band hit the road supporting Memphis May Fire. Even with years of experience behind them, the name change meant winning over new listeners, reshaping their legacy and proving themselves all over again. “A lot of these bands have been touring for a decade plus, and the first Rain City [Drive] tour was 2022,” McAndrew says. “It’s kind of crazy.” But momentum has been building ever since.
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