Ross Lynch is not not used to obsession. “I can definitely get pretty obsessed with health and discipline and wanting to just eat really good, get good sleep, hit the gym,” Lynch tells PAPER. For the 29-year-old musician, who came into the public consciousness as a teen heartthrob on Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally, he’s also used to gaggles of girls obsessing over him as their on-screen hyperfixation.
These days, though, Lynch is mostly on stage. He and his brother Rocky, 30, have been performing together as a family unit for nearly two decades now. The Driver Era is the latest evolution of that lifelong creative partnership — a band that started as a production duo and has since expanded into something much larger. Their latest album, Obsession, out now, marks a new peak for the pair, both sonically and personally.
“We’ve always tried not to reference other artists,” Lynch says. “We just do whatever fits our vibe.” While earlier releases veered into punk, funk and pure experimentation, Obsession is their most refined work yet: a tightly cohesive set of songs that lean into synthy, nocturnal moods and candid introspection. Lynch calls it their “most honest” record to date, and he means it: tracks like “Same Old Story” and “I’d Rather Die” hint at real-life moments he’s still not ready to speak about, even if the songs already have.
Still, for all the vulnerability on the record, The Driver Era isn’t losing its edge. Their live show — now accompanied by multiple semi-trucks worth of production — channels the raw, shirtless-on-stage charisma fans expect from Lynch, who says he feels most at home performing. But offstage, he’s scaling back, skipping late-night partying in favor of “feeling good” and being intentional. “You’re borrowing happiness from tomorrow,” he says of drinking. “I want to take care of myself, for a lot of different reasons, but mostly for accessing potential.”
Much like its name, Obsession is a study in habit and desire — the kind of project you blast on aux during a nighttime ride through downtown, skyscrapers flashing past. “That’s kind of where this album lives,” Lynch says. “It came from nights like that — where you’ve got some close friends and you’re just bopping around town.”
We sat down with Lynch to talk staying grounded amidst the mainstream Disney machine, obsessive tendencies and sobriety.
What has it been like doing press for this album release?
It’s been pretty chill. Yeah, pretty much just jumping on a call here and there. I feel like most of the work that we’ve been putting in for the record has been our touring — just playing a bunch of shows, playing music, traveling around.
You tour a lot. You just got off a leg, and you’re about to start another one in South America, right?
Yeah. So we’re doing a few college shows right now through April, and then towards the end of April, we’ll go to South America. Then we’ll have about a month off, and we’ll do our big Obsession tour, where we have a big production, and we put on quite a show throughout July.
I feel like when I see videos of you, it’s always on stage, shirtless with a guitar — that seems like your element.
[Laughs] Yeah, I think so.
How do you approach touring? Were there any tours or concerts you went to growing up that inspired you?
Believe it or not, I actually started touring before I was a concertgoer, which is interesting. I was thrusted into it, so I had to find my own way initially. And then eventually, obviously, you start going to shows and you start loving albums. I think there’s always things that artists do really well that you can be inspired from. But I think typically, for The Driver Era, we always try not reference other artists and really just try to do whatever fits our vibe the best. And it’s always different. Typically we’ve been very, PAR cans — almost old school rock and roll, minimal production. We’re just going to get out there and rock and roll. On this tour we have quite a substantial production. We’re traveling with, I want to say, two or three semi trucks. So this is like the biggest show we’ve put on to date, and I think it’s really good.
Touring can be very draining. How do you decompress after a leg of shows? Are there any rituals you follow to keep up your physical and mental health?
After a tour, you gotta just kick it for a few days. Just do nothing. Honestly, if you can get outside and get some sunshine and get quality sleep, that’s definitely the go-to. But I’m not very eager to go see people or do anything necessarily. I’m mostly just recuperating after a tour. I think it’s not even just after the tour — it’s during the tour. Staying on your P’s and Q’s is definitely something. I’m at the point now where I’m not really drinking or staying up too late. Yeah, I’m pretty focused on trying to put on a great show. Whereas in my past, for sure, it was like post-show we’re going to the bar, we’re going to have a great time — which still happens — but I’m definitely focused on feeling good and putting on a great show nowadays more so.
I read that you’re focused on sobriety or wellness in general right now. Is that true?
Yeah, I kind of am. I think there’s a lot of really great science coming out about alcohol and certain things. And there are a lot of really high-performing athletes and entertainers who have talked about it, and I’m interested in feeling good, yeah. A simple quote is, “You’re borrowing happiness from tomorrow.” Yeah, I think I would like to just really take care of myself for a lot of different reasons, but mostly for feeling good and for accessing potential.
And it must help that you’re doing this with your brother — your family — right?
Not really, though. Because sometimes, like, your brother might be on a different vibe, you know? And it’s vice versa — it could be like I’m wanting to go have a night out, or he’s wanting to go have a night out, or them. So sometimes it’s difficult because they are your brothers and they are your peers and you do want to go have a great time with them. But sometimes you’re on different wavelengths. So yes and no. It can be good, but it also can be challenging.
I am interested in this idea of sticking with your family and making music together, especially coming from something like Disney Channel — this big mass machine. How has that family bond influenced your work?
We actually had been making music as a band before the Disney Channel stuff. So when that came around, it was something that all of us wanted to hold on to, regardless of what happened over there. Even when the Disney stuff was happening, Hollywood Records reached out and was like, “Hey, we want to sign Ross as an artist,” and almost immediately I was like, “I’m in a band.” We want to do the band thing. So it’s always been important. As far as it influences the sound, the stage, the performance — we’ve been doing it for so long, but everyone is kind of more solidified in their roles now. I’m definitely the frontman now, whereas back when it was R5, it was more scattered — everyone was sort of singing. But now it’s more traditional: frontman, lead guitarist, bass player, etc. With The Driver Era and this album we just released, it’s getting even bigger than just me and Rocky. Now our other band members are involved in songwriting and production. Our keyboardist Garrison Jones, and our percussionist and drummer Alex and Ratliff and Dave Briggs. They’re all collaborating on the music now. It started out as a production duo between me and Rocky, and it still is, but it’s kind of becoming more of a band. We’re independent too, so we’ve assembled our own label team. It’s like we’re signed, but we have our own people doing what a label would.
Did you ever feel any imposter syndrome around being singled out? Like, Hollywood Records coming to you specifically?
No, not really. To be honest, when I think back on that time, I actually wasn’t necessarily fully aware of some of the business formalities or things that were going down. I just knew what I thought was cool and what I wanted to do. I didn’t even really know what was happening. I was like 15 years old. I was just going with the punches. I was like, “Hell yeah, I’m in a band,” you know what I mean? I was on this TV show and they wanted us to pull up and play a few songs. I didn’t even really know what was going down. I was just excited to be an artist.
You seem very stable in that sense. Where does that come from?
I think it’s the way I was brought up. Family dynamics help. I think it’s inherently me, too. I like awareness, I like mindfulness, I like compassion, I like people. I just never really went there. I don’t think it’s an intelligent decision to lose yourself.
“Obsession” feels like a loaded word. Why that title?
When we were making a lot of these songs, we had a folder that we put them into, and for whatever reason, I just named the folder “Obsession” pretty early on. I think I was just playing around with the idea that I was obsessed with making music or songs. So I named it Obsession, and then the album became that. But it kind of became about obsessive things — like looking for love, or going out and trying to have the best night ever. Those kinds of themes are all throughout the album.
Do you think humans are naturally obsessive?
I definitely think people are creatures of habit. And I think people are a little more impressionable than we let on. So I think it’s important that you pick the people you spend time with selectively. And yeah, I would definitely say do what you want to be doing, because whatever you do, you’ll do more of. I think momentum is definitely a thing. I wouldn’t say that people are predisposed to habits necessarily, but yeah — we are habit-making creatures.
What’s the last thing you got completely obsessed with that had nothing to do with music?
I get pretty obsessed with health. I can definitely get pretty obsessed with health and discipline and wanting to just eat really good, get good sleep, hit the gym. The concept of self-betterment — which actually is a song on the album, it’s called “Better.” It’s kind of about trying to be the best version of yourself.
What’s your zodiac sign?
I’m a Capricorn. What’s yours?
I’m a Libra.
The balance!
That makes sense, though. Capricorns are very driven. They get obsessed. You put an idea in their head and they’re just determined to make it happen.
Yeah, definitely. For sure.
The aesthetic and sound of this album feels very ‘80s to me. Like Stranger Things-esque aesthetics, retro cinema. Did that influence you?
I could see that correlation. I think even the cover has a sort of ‘80s film aesthetic. But to be honest, we didn’t really have any major references going into this album. It was more about the songs we had in our folders that we loved and wanted to finish because we thought they were special. But I can definitely see that correlation. We just don’t usually create from references, at least not up to this point.
What were you listening to while making this record?
Literally only those songs. I mean, I definitely have songs in my saved songs on Spotify that I love. I’m always trying to collect music that I think is interesting and special. But I was mostly listening to these songs. I definitely had a Chappell Roan phase, but that was after the record. You know what I mean?
That makes sense. I’ve found that a lot of musicians go inward when making a record. They isolate and don’t listen to any outside music.
Yeah, definitely.
How does this album feel different than previous ones? What moods or emotions did you get to explore here?
We’re always striving to become a little bit more honest and reflective of what’s going on in life from an honest perspective. I think this is among our most honest. But I also just feel like in tonality, it’s much different than what we’ve released before. Like for X, we were in kind of a punk phase. A lot of those songs had a punk undertone. Then Girlfriend was more funky. Summer Mixtape was a wild ride of trial songs, just a bunch of eclectic stuff going on. And then Obsession is its own thing.
If you could picture the ideal listening environment for this album, what would it be?
Probably a nighttime car ride through a city. Not a desolate city, but one where things are happening. Skyscrapers, maybe downtown. Music’s loud, people in the car, you’re going out on the town and take an Uber SUV to the next bar and someone’s on aux. You’re blasting the music. Yeah, that’s kind of where this album lives. That’s where it was influenced — nights like that with some close friends, just bopping around town.
Which track felt like the riskiest or most vulnerable to release?
Honestly, “Same Old Story” kind of pokes out a little bit because it was a newer situation, and I kind of want to keep that situation more private than the song allowed. And then “I’d Rather Die” also pokes out like that.
Do you find it’s better to keep the actual meaning behind the songs private? Let people interpret them themselves?
Yes. I think it’s cool to let people interpret songs on their own. But also — I’m at that point with fame where privacy is a privilege. I just like to keep certain things private for my own sake.
Thank you so much for talking to me.
Thank you! Appreciate it.
Photography: Will Wark