AFTERDRIVE step into the haze with new single ‘Fashion’

Rising UK band AFTERDRIVE return with their latest single ‘Fashion’ — a dark, hazy dive into modern romance that pairs euphoric, uptempo sonics with an undercurrent of emotional emptiness. Produced and mixed by Thomas Mitchener, the track captures the push–pull between surface-level attraction and genuine connection, tapping into the tension of relationships shaped in the social media age.

Blending guitar energy with sleek synths and electronics, ‘Fashion’ cements AFTERDRIVE’s evolution beyond “just” a guitar band. The single arrives ahead of a headline London show at The Social on 9th March, following recent live highs that include supporting Ed Sheeran at Portman Road and joining Maggie Lindemann on tour this spring.

We caught up with the band to talk infatuation, sonic evolution, life on the road, and what this new era means for AFTERDRIVE.

Fashion dives into modern romance and that push–pull between desire and real connection, what personal experiences or observations sparked the song’s darker emotional core?

I think everyone’s been there at some point. You get caught up in someone and it’s all about how they look, the way they carry themselves, the lifestyle, the buzz you feel around them. That’s really where Fashion came from for me. I’ve been with someone where I was more in love with the idea of her than the reality. It feels exciting and addictive, but deep down you know it’s not built on anything solid, and it’s probably not that healthy either.

That’s what I like about the song. When you first hear it, it’s big and energetic and you just want to move. But if you actually listen to the lyrics, it’s a bit darker. It’s about that feeling of knowing something isn’t real but still wanting it anyway. That clash between your head and your gut is the emotional core of it.

Your sound now blends guitar energy with synths and electronics, how intentional was that evolution, and what helped you realise you wanted to push beyond being “just” a guitar band?

It was always pretty intentional. We all grew up on different stuff, rock, pop, R&B, even electronic music, and it felt weird to ignore that and just stick to one lane. We never wanted to be labelled as just a guitar band.

Fashion still has that classic four-piece base, vocals, guitar, bass and drums. That’s who we are at the core. But we love adding synths, samples and little electronic details on top because it makes everything feel bigger and more current. It opens things up.

We’re proud of being a band, but we also want to make songs that can sit on radio and playlists without losing the energy we bring live. Blending those worlds just feels natural to us now, and you’ll hear even more of that across the EP.

The track feels both euphoric and hollow at the same time. How do you balance writing something catchy and uptempo while still exploring themes like emotional distance and social media age intimacy?

For us it always starts with the feeling. The music gives it that lift, that almost euphoric rush. Then the verses are where we say what’s really going on. That’s where the honesty sits, the distance, the kind of surface-level intimacy you get now, especially with social media and all that.

Then you hit the chorus, “your passion and fashion is turning me on”, and it’s simple and catchy but that’s the point. It kind of proves how easy it is to get pulled back into that shallow attraction, even when you know better.

I like that it feels massive but also a bit empty at the same time. That’s what infatuation can be like. It’s loud and exciting, but there’s not always much underneath it.

From supporting Ed Sheeran to touring with Maggie Lindemann, things have moved fast, how has life on the road changed your confidence as a band, and does that momentum feed back into your songwriting?

Touring the UK has been mad in the best way. Supporting Ed Sheeran was a huge moment for us. Standing in front of a crowd that size and seeing them react the way they did just gives you belief. His audience leans quite pop, so the fact they connected with us showed we don’t just fit in one box. We picked up loads of new fans that night.

Going out with Maggie Lindemann feels like the perfect next step. The EP’s out, we’re playing new songs every night, and you can actually see what works in real time. That definitely feeds back into the writing. When you feel that energy from a crowd, it makes you want to think bigger and trust your instincts more. We’re way more confident now than we were a year ago.

With the London headline show at The Social coming up, what can fans expect from this new era of AFTERDRIVE live, and how important is translating the mood of Fashion onto the stage?

The London headline at The Social is going to be special. Headline shows just feel different. It’s our crowd, our set, our moment. We always give everything on stage, but this one feels like a real marker for where we’re at now.

Getting the mood of Fashion right live is massive for us because it’s such a high energy track. We’ve been playing it on the recent UK run and the reaction’s been class, people are already shouting it back at us. That’s the best feeling.

There’ll be some fashion-inspired merch, a bigger sounding set, and a proper sense of this new chapter. It honestly feels like we’re just getting started.