Driveways Kick Off Spooky Season Early With “Melancholy”

Driveways have always drawn inspiration from the world around them, whether from literature, history, horror films, or the changing seasons. But behind the music is a band that has also spent years figuring out how to balance creating together while maintaining lives outside of it. Between making music and maintaining full-time professional careers, the Massachusetts trio has built everything around finding the time to make the band happen.

Made up of Pat Finnegan, Derek Serino, and Ryan Passariello, Driveways have spent years creating music filled with personal storytelling, literary references, and the spooky atmosphere that has become closely tied to their identity. Now, with their newest single “Melancholy” released on July 28th and the band back on the road for their first full U.S. headlining tour, Driveways are working on a new chapter while continuing to explore the things that have always made their music feel like their own.

"I feel like Tempest was really dark," he explains. "The whole EP was kind of dark and dreary." Following Tempest, the band also released “Unseen,” another track with a slower, moodier feel. With “Melancholy,” Pat wanted to move in another direction.

"I really just wanted to write something that was a little bit more upbeat," he says. "I feel like it's been a while since we had a proper single."

The writing process focused on creating something shorter and more immediate while still keeping the details that make Driveways recognizable. "We were just trying to get back to writing something shorter and catchier," Pat explains. "Rather than like a long, depressing song."

Throughout their catalog, the band has incorporated horror references, Halloween imagery, and themes that naturally fit the autumn season. However, Pat notes becoming known as a fall band was never something they intentionally planned.

"I wish we had a cooler reason to be this fall, autumnal band," he explains. "But I do feel like it's, for all three of us, our favorite time of year and at this point, it's kind of like a tradition."

Part of the timing comes from the band's schedules. With summer often being the easiest time for them to write and record, fall releases have become a natural pattern. But over time, the connection between the season and their music has grown into something more meaningful.

"A lot of the lyrics and the themes kind of connect to fall in a certain way," Pat explains. "Some of that kind of happened organically, and some of that we kind of manufacture."

At this point, the tradition has become something the band wants to continue. While “Melancholy” arrived earlier than their usual fall releases, Pat shares there is still a possibility of more music later this year. "We want to work on an album," he says. "It's been so long since we've had a real album."

In Pat’s mind, October Forever remains the band's only true full-length record, with everything else falling somewhere between an EP and an album.

"I wish I could say there was a whole album ready for the fall, but that's not the case," he admits. "We have a lot of touring going on, so I don't 100% know, but I'd like to make that happen."

For two members of Driveways, touring means stepping away from the classroom. Both Pat and Derek are high school teachers, creating a unique challenge when it comes to balancing their careers with the band.

"It's really weird," Finnegan explains. "I talk about this a lot, but it's just like, you use a lot of your vacation time, you use a lot of your summer and whatnot, and sometimes personal days to do stuff for the band."

While it is not always easy to coordinate schedules, Pat explains it is something all three members understand. Ryan may not be a teacher, but he also works full-time, creating a similar challenge of fitting Driveways around everyday responsibilities. "It's a big balancing act," Pat shares. "You're sitting at work thinking about Driveways, and then being in Driveways and thinking about work."

That balance has become a normal part of the band's process. For Pat, it also creates an interesting overlap between his two worlds, especially when students discover that their teacher is also part of a touring band. "They do," Pat laughed when asked if his students knew about Driveways. "I've seen a few of them at shows before."

While some students have embraced the unexpected connection, Derek has taken a different approach. "My kids do not know the band, I try to really keep it a secret, and not mention it to anyone, but they do find out," Derek jokes.

While the classroom and the stage may seem like completely different environments, storytelling has always connected the two in one way or another. With Pat's background as a history teacher, it is easy to assume those interests naturally blend together, but he sees them as two separate parts of himself.

"I feel like me as a teacher and me as a musician are two totally different things," he says.

Still, history and literature have found their way into the band's music. Their album Into the Past featured references to American classic literature, including “Ambulances,” which draws inspiration from Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms.

"We've done some dorky, nerdy stuff with lyrics," Pat admits. "There have been some subtle things like that."

One of the band's most recognizable literary references comes from “Lights on Long Island,” which connects back to The Great Gatsby. For Pat, that idea actually started with another Driveways song, “Not For Nothing,” which included references to the famous green light metaphor.

"I don't remember a lot from reading books in high school," he notes. "But I remember thinking that was cool. Gatsby always saw the green light across the water and how that was a metaphor for so many different things."

Rather than repeating the same idea, “Lights on Long Island” became a continuation of that theme with a different perspective. "It was kind of like a spiritual successor or continuation of that idea, but with a little bit more of a positive spin on it," Pat explains.

Looking ahead, there are still plenty of stories and influences the band would like to explore. After incorporating horror films like The Exorcist, Halloween, and A Nightmare on Elm Street into their music, Pat says he would like to revisit that world again in the future.

"I'm a huge dork," he says. "I love The Lord of the Rings." While he is not sure exactly what a Driveways song inspired by the series would sound like, he says it is the type of influence he could see the band exploring someday.

When it came to “Melancholy,” however, the inspiration was less about one specific reference and more about capturing where the band currently exists.

"It was really just a song that was an instrumental first and then the lyrics just kind of came together," Pat explains. "It's sort of like the state of our band after a record like Tempest and a song like 'Unseen.'"

That same feeling of moving into something new carries into Driveways' current tour. While the band has played plenty of headlining shows throughout their career, this run marks their first full U.S. headlining tour. "The majority of the stuff we've done has been headlining stuff," Pat says. "But we've never done a full-scale U.S. headlining tour."

Previous longer runs came as support for bands like Bilmuri, but this time Driveways are able to create the experience themselves, including choosing the bands joining them on the road. "It's actually really cool to get out here and do a full-scale headlining tour and pick the bands to come with us," Pat states.

That tour will eventually bring the band home for their annual Massachusetts Halloween show, which has continued growing every year. This time, the celebration will take place at the House of Blues, a venue that holds personal meaning for the band.

"It's a venue we've grown up going to, seeing bands we love," Pat says. "It's really cool that we can, full circle, now get to headline it ourselves."

For listeners who have followed the band through every fall release, “Melancholy” is only the beginning of what Driveways have planned next. So grab a hoodie, find your nearest tour stop, and celebrate the start of another Driveways spooky season with the band.

Photos and review by Bek Allegretti