Is The Driver Era's New Album 'Obsession' their Best Work Yet?

Sym's Spotlight Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photo by William Wark via The Driver Era on Instagram. 

You know that feeling when it’s 3am, your heels are in one hand, your mascara’s hanging on for dear life, and your brain’s running laps around a thousand memories? Or when you're cruising empty streets with the windows down and music turned all the way up? Obsession, The Driver Era’s fourth studio album, is that feeling in music form. Released today (and yes, I’ve had it on loop since midnight), the Lynch brothers, Ross and Rocky, have delivered a raw, addictive, emotionally charged yet danceable album, and honestly? Obsessed might be an understatement for how I feel.

The album opens with "You Keep Me Up At Night" and it wastes no time pulling you in. It’s bold, punchy, and full of chaotic energy. It’s the musical version of a late night text you know you shouldn’t send but do anyway. It’s giving "I shouldn’t still be thinking about them, but here we are", and I love that for us. It sets the tone perfectly, launching the album into a space of late night longing, impulsive emotion, and messy, beautiful vulnerability.

And yes it gets messy, in the best way. What follows the opening song is a tracklist that dives headfirst into lust, heartbreak, habits, and healing, all wrapped up with slick production and a genre blending mix of alt-rock, pop, funk, and synth. "Touch" is a definite standout, sensual, bass heavy, and practically begging to be played in a club. It's seductive without trying too hard. "Don’t Take The Night" keeps the momentum going with its funk pop groove, nostalgic, yet totally fresh. The whole album pulses with this exciting, electric energy. Basically? It slaps. The guys slayed!

But Obsession isn’t just full of upbeat bangers, it has depth. Lyrically, this feels like the most personal and reflective work Ross and Rocky have released so far. I love how layered it is, every song could mean three different things depending on your mood. "Don’t Walk Away" feels like a cinematic heartbreak; a fleeting romance, unanswered texts, Paris at sunset vibes. It’s a bittersweet dream, intensely felt but quickly gone. Then there’s "Same Old Story," the last track they recorded for the album, and one that hits close to home. Born from frustration, it explores those emotional cycles we get stuck in, whether in relationships or just within ourselves. It’s a cry for help dressed as a bop. There’s something a little desperate beneath the beat, like dancing through déjà vu.

Obsession Album Cover. Photo via The Driver Era.

Things get a little deeper with "I’d Rather Die,” a moody, jazz-tinged track exploring self-destructive patterns and the darker sides of love and obsession (yep, title reference!). It’s reflective and raw, one of those songs that will hit differently every time you hear it. Then we’ve got "I Can’t Believe She Got Away", which somehow turns heartbreak into something shimmery and poetic. Pain, but romanticised. 

"The Weekend" (featuring Fern) brings in carefree, late night energy with a funky groove and playful vocals. It captures the thrill of escapism, like a soundtrack to spontaneity and blurred memories. It’s the kind of track that makes you want to dance without thinking twice, whilst "Nothing Left to Lose" slows the pace, it’s the sonic version of watching city lights blur past from the backseat of a car. And just when you think you’ve felt it all, "Better" closes the album with this lush 80s-inspired synth that builds into grittier rock before blending the two. It’s hopeful without pretending everything’s perfect, a fitting finale for an album about the mess and magic of being human.

What makes Obsession so addictive is that it doesn’t try to be just one thing. It’s not simply a party album, or a heartbreaker, or a synthy slow burn, instead it’s a living, breathing playlist of moods. And somehow, The Driver Era make it all work. The production (done entirely by Ross and Rocky) is genuinely impressive. Every beat, switch-up, and drop feels intentional but never overproduced. 

There’s a clear evolution here, too. Ross’ vocals are more expressive than ever, soft and vulnerable one moment, smooth and commanding the next. Rocky’s fingerprints are all over the instrumentation, grounding the emotion with layered riffs and textures that give each track its own vibe. You can tell this was a passion project. It feels like they created from instinct, just following what felt real. That freedom makes Obsession feel alive.

This isn’t just an album. It’s a mood board of experiences. It’s romantic, philosophical, a little unhinged, and totally addictive. It lingers long after the final track, and honestly? You’re probably going to hit replay the second it ends.

If you haven’t listened yet, do it! It might just become your new obsession.