Where Would You Drive reminds me of the tension of Tiga, whose pop was performed against a background of techno, much like Nieri’s here. There is also a drama stylistically consistent to the slow urban crawl of Ariane Grande and The Weeknd’s Love Me Harder, and Ali Love’s (remember him?) similarly titled Love Harder. It’s all clean lines — functional, tight drums, crisp synths and futuristic bass.
It’s the closing third of Where Would You Drive that significantly elevates it for me, however. As Nieri gets to the two-minute mark, he throws himself into the bridge. The vocals take a threatening turn, as the bass comes to the fore and echo and reverb takes over. Nieri sounds like he is shouting here, yet his vocal volume sits consistently at the level of just a whisper.
We get one final spin through the chorus before these sinister whispered shouts take us to Where Would You Drive’s close, amidst a clatter of drums. It’s a thrilling track, which manages to feel significantly more epic than its three-and-a-half-minute duration would seem to afford.
The sense of drama on Where Would You Drive all stems from its emotional core, which centres on a relationship in crisis. Distilling the fear of losing someone, Nieri says describes the inspiration behind the song:
“When an argument turns for the worse, you start questioning everything. When you fight with a partner, it’s easy to get caught up in your own fears, and point of views. The song wants to be a reminder that, at the end of the day, we’re all looking for healing, and that sometimes we can find it in each other.”
The result is a song with strong themes of anxiety and turmoil, yet ultimately resolving in a sense of hope.
Originally hailing from Milan, Nieri now channels a Euro sensibility into a high-energy sound from his base in Los Angeles. Where Would You Drive follows up on last year’s debut EP, Starshine, released in July. His ambition is to inspire and empower a new generation of pop music fans to be their authentic selves. Check out Where Would You Drive below: