Eliza Edens enters a period of personal reckoning with “Death Drive,” an album written as they approached their late twenties while grieving the loss of their mother to dementia and exploring their queerness for the first time. The record shifts away from the acoustic folk of earlier work and embraces a more plugged-in indie rock approach, with experiments that include tape loops and the recurring use of bongos on every track.
The opening song “All In Sinnin’” addresses queerness directly and depicts bold, taboo-defying moments; it is paired on the album with tracks such as “Hot & Mean,” which uses looped beats and slowed-down vocals and examines spending time with someone you probably should avoid. The title track takes its name from Freud’s theory about an instinct toward recklessness, a concept that Edens uses to frame parts of the record.
Several songs focus on loss and memory. “Hey Mama” most directly confronts the absence of their mother, while “Old Home Video,” written while their mother was still declining, closes the album with piano and acoustic guitar and plaintive vocal lines. “Bigger” layers old recordings and loops, and “Caroline” returns to a stripped-back acoustic ballad form built around fingerpicked guitar.
The album balances personal material with a willingness to explore new textures and arrangements without abandoning the introspective songwriting of earlier releases. Elements such as saxophone on “Hand In My Hand,” tape experimentation and the consistent use of bongos contribute to a widened palette across the LP, allowing scenes of grief and moments of celebration to exist alongside one another.
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