The Drawn Out’s Nothing Neutral: Razor Sharp Indie Rock with Heart

The Drawn Out have been releasing a series of singles…in the lead up to a new record or ep perhaps…This started with Not the One, which was followed up with the epically punk gem Swallow My Pride. Now we are greeted with the latest single Nothing Neutral. The question is, will this hold up to the great track record of singles before it? Full disclosure…I wrote an entire article comparing Swallow My Pride to Waiting Room by Fugazi, which concluded with announcing that Swallow My Pride will be in my top 10 of 2025. So….there is a big hill for Nothing Neutral to climb. Let’s see how it does.

Much like previous singles, there is a great mix of indie rock with some hints of late 80s / early 90s punk. I know of get the punk vibe with the snap on the drums and the bass lines. The slightly crunchy, but slightly shoegazey, guitar gives the track a lightness closer to modern indie rock than the oppressively sparse and chaotic 90s punk earlier tracks dip their toes in. Having said that, the third act fo this track really goes for it with a wall of percussion occasionally pierced by some guitar crunch and glittering solos. Above all else, this track is razor sharp and tight. To say that the track has an indie rock freeform quality doesn’t mean the band isn’t tight. It’s like Miles Davis in that I feel that there isn’t any wasted space. Every note, snare snap, crunch and electric feedback screech has a purpose…they are either in service of the track’s vibe or the track’s theme. In that way, the track is both freeing but also sharp and well constructed.

When I mean in service of the theme, I am talking about conflicted love. Like the song says, “nothing’s neutral.” Emotions are all over the place and in conflict of each other. Intellectually, she knows better than to be with this guy, but her heart has gone ahead of her and she is in too deep. The music symbolises the inner turmoil and conflicts within the singer. In that sense, the vocals and music play off each other well and one accentuates the other.

Above all else, this is just a thrashing guitar led rock track. You can find yourself swept up in it quite easily and lovers of guitar led rock will really connect with this track. Having said that, the track does not lose its heart and has a core everyone can relate to. The Drawn Out is putting out some solid tracks and I hope all this leads to a LP in the future.

Listen to Nothing Neutral