Q&A: late night drive home: Latinx Underdogs Take on Coachella, Sign to Epitaph and Debut Grungy EP
THE MEMBERS OF LATE NIGHT DRIVE HOME ARE HITTING MILESTONES THEY COULD ONLY DREAM OF — and then some. A new addition to the Epitaph Records roster, the four-piece has just released their first EP with the label, i'll remember you for the same feeling you gave me as i slept. late night drive home will take the stage at Coachella in April, and join Interpol in their home town of El Paso, Texas soon after. If ever there was a time to get to know members Andre Portillo, cousins Juan “Ockz” Vargas and Freddy Baca, and Brian Dolan, it’s now.
The band has been hard at work since their formation in 2019, from performing to less than a dozen audience members and doing schoolwork on their first tour, to playing a headline show in Mexico City and co-directing their music videos.
The days of distributing press releases and booking national tours on their own are behind them. Backing from a major label affords the band more time to work on the music and hone in on their creative vision. What’s to come will be their best work yet, the band teases. “I feel like these new releases will have a more refined sound that we've always hoped to get to, but couldn't,” Portillo says.
i'll remember you for the same feeling you gave me as i slept is a three-song EP inspired by emotional turbulence and isolation. Portillo says his “dark” lyrics are about a specific experience he suffered through; Ockz wrote the guitar parts between his third and fourth move since 2020.
“Believe Me (Even If I’m Lying)” is about self-destruction and the strain it puts on one’s relationships. With frenzied guitars and no holds barred for Dolan on the drums, the track encapsulates frustration. The band returns to their alt-pop roots with the melancholy “Feeling Grey.” “Worms Eat My Brains For Breakfast” is quite literally the end as Portillo sings of an extractive relationship from the grave. “Tírame una flor,” he concludes.
The band frequently incorporates Spanish verses into their music, most notably on “Stress Release,” the band’s most popular single with nearly 70 million streams on Spotify alone. Influenced by the Strokes, with a melody reminiscent of “Harvey” by the late indie rock band “Hers,” the band says it’s a catchy, emotionally raw heartbreak song. “There's the Latin representation for sure as well,” says Ockz on why the song became a hit.
The band members are well aware that most musicians in their genre do not look like them, nor did they grow up in rural Texas. To break into the industry is more than just a personal achievement — it’s balancing the scales in the music industry and carving a path for Latinx artists.
“. . . My manager had told me once, ‘When you're on stage, I want you to feel the presence of your family and ancestors standing behind you’ . . . Sometimes, if I imagine it on stage, I'll get a little teary eyed,” Portillo says.
In many ways, the band had to get resourceful to make it to where they are now. With little connections to music hubs like Los Angeles or New York City, the band learned how to play music, navigate the industry and create networks on their own. The members agree that their sound would be very different had the band formed elsewhere.
“Since we grew up in a town where music isn't really what it's known for, we had to influence ourselves from bands not from our area . . . You can't really go out there and find someone to show you the ropes . . . We had to bite the bullet and learn everything ourselves as we go,” Ockz says.
The band’s appreciation for music and their eagerness to master their craft is tangible. With each recording and writing session, tour and conversation with other artists, the band embraces new learning experiences.
Don’t try to pigeonhole late night drive home — their sound has evolved immensely since they began performing, and they say it’s getting more refined with each release. Growing into their roles as musicians and bandmates, the new EP is a promising label debut and an exciting kickoff to their next tour. This time around, they’ll have even more fans rooting for them.
“To have an audience listening to our music and the art we're making is something that I'm really grateful [for],” Ockz says. “For years I wanted to express art in some way. Being able to have an audience is what makes me happy.”
LUNA: What was it like hearing you'll play Coachella?
PORTILLO: It's surreal. We won't believe it until we're actually there on stage. Seeing our names on the lineup is the craziest thing ever. It's something we could have only ever dreamed of.
OCKZ: We would make jokes about it back then. We'd always say, “Oh yeah, we're going to be playing Coachella this year” as a joke. It happened.
PORTILLO: It's even crazier just being from El Paso and being able to play on the Coachella stage. It's mind boggling to me. I'm really excited.
LUNA: This will be your first EP on Epitaph. You have a debut album out, but does this feel like a second debut?
PORTILLO: Before we signed to Epitaph we already had a few projects out. But with the backing of the label and the amount of attention we can put into new projects, I feel like these releases will have a more refined sound, something a little more refreshing, that we've always hoped to get to, but couldn’t.
LUNA: You've been in the band for many years now. How have you seen each other grow?
PORTILLO: As musicians, I'm so proud of all of us. I feel like we can just walk into a room, pick up some instruments, lock in and jam out. And I would not say we're professional musicians, but some would say we are professional musicians [laughs]. Freddie is a crazy bassist now. He dances on stage, does this little wiggle. It's his signature thing, and people are like, “Freddy, Freddy, Freddy!” Our drummer Brian has always cracked at the drums. He just smashes those things like crazy. And I think Ockz' guitar playing has gotten way better, and the stuff he comes up with now. Granted, we were barely learning how to play or how to make music back then. But it's miles better than what we were making when we first started.
OCKZ: I agree. I think Andre's songwriting abilities have gotten better. We're able to understand exactly what we need. I feel like there's still way more room for all of us to grow. I'm still learning new techniques. I'm pretty sure it's the same for everybody in the band.
PORTILLO: I'm so glad we record in studios now. Every time we record, I feel like I learn something new.
BACA: I remember in 2018 listening to their song "guardians of space” thinking, "Wow, these guys are amazing." In January, I saw them perform for the first time at a battle of the bands, and I remember being on the barricade recording. It’s exciting seeing everyone grow musically and get more comfortable with themselves, as far as stage presence goes and how they present themselves. Sonically, we've all grown a lot, and I think will grow a lot more for sure.
LUNA: Freddy and Ockz, you two are cousins. What’s it been like watching each other grow?
OCKZ: Sometimes I look back and think, “Oh, shit. I've known this guy since I was like eight and now we're touring the country and playing music together.” It's heartwarming to see, and it's also funny because I always just imagine 11-year-old Freddy.
BACA: The other day I was thinking it's crazy how we went from playing Roblox to playing Coachella.
LUNA: That's going to be the title of this article. What are some of the greatest obstacles you’ve faced as a group?
OCKZ: It was the time of uncertainty from when we were starting off until now. We were already confident in ourselves, which is really good. But there were times when there was obviously self-doubt, because we would play to 10 people for two years straight. During the pandemic, everything went away. We didn't know how everything was going to be after that.
LUNA: What kept you motivated?
OCKZ: For me, it’s being able to release music that I really love. Even when I hear music that's outside of our genre, I say, “OK, how can I do something like this?” I love performing. I love doing everything else. But making the music itself is really what I enjoy. You get to experiment in so many ways. To have an audience listening to our music and the art we're making is something that I'm really grateful [for]. For years I wanted to express art in some way. Being able to have an audience is what makes me happy.
LUNA: What have been your most significant learnings?
PORTILLO: It's really humbling getting to tour with your closest friends. It's not intentional, but they will humble you in so many ways. Also seeing my friends be themselves wherever we are has let me be comfortable with myself. I'm not really worried about what people think of me. It could get a little difficult especially when I guess you have a lot of eyes on you.
LUNA: I can imagine, but staying true to yourself is what makes you stand out in this industry.
BACA: After every tour, I come out like a new person.
PORTILLO: We've watched Freddie come out of his shell. It's so cool to see.
BACA: I’m most comfortable around you guys, especially on stage. That's one thing that I value a lot.
OCKZ: I'm not afraid to show myself, through the way I dress or how I am on the internet. Back then I was very self conscious, especially in high school. I feel like now I'm able to just really be me. Not care.
LUNA: You all were in college while you were in the band. How did that go?
PORTILLO: We all dropped out of college.
OCKZ: I think we all dropped out during the same year. I dropped out, like, January 2022. At the end, we all realized that we were already doing so well. Imagine if we do this full time? Imagine if we put all our energy, all our focus into this? What's going to stop us?
PORTILLO: I was doing homework on the first tour. That was crazy to me. But you know what, it was crazier for our drummer Brian because he was in medical school. He was going to the hospital at like 4 a.m. each day. We still call him Dr. Brian Dolan.
LUNA: Well, music saves lives. You should tell him that. What do you want people to take away from this EP?
OCKZ: On the production side, it's a darker take on our music for sure. It's something very personal to us, and something short and sweet.
PORTILLO: When we were writing that EP, I was going through a lot emotionally. That's one of the biggest reasons why it became what it is, and why it's leaning towards the darker side. But I like the idea that people don't really have to know what it's about, because it is about something specific. But I don't want to say because I like that people can form their own interpretations of the lyrics and what they mean to them. Also, can you leave a quote for Brian Dolan? Can you say, “It's going to be epic?” And he wants an exclamation point at the end of it.
LUNA: How many?
PORTILLO: Probably three.
