Los Angeles indie rock band The Drives takes a deep breath and invites us on a tour of their brain. Singer/guitarist Andrew Levin, producer/songwriter Casey Chen, and bassist Geo Botelho walk us through the journey of taking on mental health, a topic that frankly needs to be spoken about more often. Their newest single "OCD" is a deep dive of confessional lyrics that hit home to their listeners. They create a safe space that encourages you to open up about where you’re at with your own mental health. For The Drives, it's about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

"I have struggled with pretty severe OCD almost all of my life and surprisingly have not written much about it," says songwriter Andrew Levin. "This song is about me hating the idea of letting someone help me with my mental health". 

The self-produced single "OCD" begins with delayed guitar, big shimmering symbols, and a groovy bass line setting the stage for some incredibly honest lyrics: "Nothing matters/ And I can’t seem to change a thing/ Nothing feels that good". It's as if we are sitting right in front of members Chen, Levin, and Botelho as they approach the verge of a mental breakdown. They immediately engage the listener, they're being real. They take another deep breath and let out a dynamically full chorus of stubborn proclamation "I'm never gonna let you in my head!", winning over the hearts of their listeners forever. The overall tone doesn’t lose its honesty and vulnerability. The song ends with a deep sigh, revealing the words we all are afraid to admit, “Maybe I can’t fix everything.”

Levin states that when he actually let his family, friends, and psychologists help him, “it was the best decision [he] ever made, and it changed [his] life for the better". "This is almost a cautionary tale," says Levin, "there is no need to hide your mental health issues". 

Thank you to The Drives for being real, and opening up the conversation. Take a tour of The Drives brain with "OCD" below: