Drain … Is Your Friend is the title of Californian hardcore band Drain’s third album, released in 2025. And Drain certainly has the potential to become your new best friend if you love being pushed around by raw punk vocals and dirty, fast-paced riffs.
Although Drain operate within a genre that many associate with anger and aggression, their songs and their stage presence radiate a positive attitude, and they make no secret of the fact that they have great fun playing and thoroughly enjoy the intense interaction with the audience – whether they’re playing in packed clubs or on large festival stages. Both the audience and critics repeatedly highlight the fact that it’s virtually impossible to go to a Drain gig without leaving with a big smile on your face. This spirit and energy have made them one of the most beloved bands on the hardcore scene.
The band’s friendliness and optimism are genuine, but so too is their love of heavy music. There’s no doubt that they know their metal, punk and hardcore history inside out – and they manage to channel that into direct, no-nonsense songs that combine the uncompromising energy of hardcore music with riffs that have an almost thrash metal-feel to them.
“Drain give a fuck and …Is Your Friend feels like a love letter to the hardcore community as a whole, which has given them so much”, wrote the music magazine Kerrang! in an enthusiastic review of their latest album. Whilst Drain are a captivating experience on record, this pales in comparison to the ecstatic atmosphere they manage to create, uniting the audience at their gigs. That’s why it’s an absolute must for all hardcore fans to check them out when they appear at Roskilde Festival this summer.