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Review and photos: Remo Drive bring ‘Natural, Everyday Degradation’ to life at the Fine Line

Remo Drive. (Photos by Emmet Kowler for MPR)
Remo Drive. (Photos by Emmet Kowler for MPR)

by Jeyca Maldonado-Medina

July 07, 2019

At their sold-out show on Saturday night at the Fine Line, Remo Drive delivered energized performances of songs from their new album Natural, Everyday Degradation.

Remo Drive are a pop-punk band from Bloomington, Minnesota, fronted by brothers Erik and Stephen Paulson. Erik plays guitar and sings, while Stephen plays bass. Natural, Everyday Degradation is Remo Drive's first album with Epitaph Records, where they share a roster with artists including Joyce Manor, A Day to Remember, and Touché Amoré. Remo Drive signed to Epitaph in February 2018 following their debut album Greatest Hits.

The band released Natural, Everyday Degradation on May 31 right as they were kicking off a national headlining tour in support of the album, concluding last night at the Fine Line. "Before the tour we released an album," Stephen Paulson said at the Fine Line. "This is kind of like the release show."

The band kicked off the set with "Art School" off Greatest Hits, which immediately got the audience jumping around. During the bridge of "Strawberita", the audience alone sang all the "woahs" usually sung by Eric. By the end of the show, the crowd had delighted in moshing and crowd-surfing.

For the Paulson brothers, this wasn't their first time playing the Fine Line. "After early high school, Dan, Erik, and I played a show here," Stephen Paulson said. "It's cool being back here and not 15."

Before playing "Separate Beds", Erik said that the version they were playing was different than the version on the album. This new version will be released on an EP that can be expected later this summer, recorded in their parents' basement.

The band left the stage after playing "I'm My Own Doctor" mashed up with a little bit of the Outfield's summertime classic "Your Love." The band wasn't offstage for long, though, because the audience quickly cheered for an encore. The show closed with "Yer Killin' Me."

The band's energy brought their latest album to life in a way that the recorded version doesn't do justice. Between Erik's strong vocal performance and the headbanging of Stephen, the show gave new life to the songs on Natural, Everyday Degradation. 

Remo Drive were supported by four opening bands: In Lieu, Slow Bullet, Heart to Gold, and Slow Pulp. Minneapolis's Heart to Gold received a lot of love from the crowd, with many people singing along to most of their songs. Slow Pulp’s slower, groovier sound set the stage perfectly for Remo Drive.

Slow Pulp

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Remo Drive

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Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.