{"id":3653,"date":"2025-04-28T19:21:29","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T19:21:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/?p=3653"},"modified":"2025-04-30T10:20:38","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T10:20:38","slug":"the-driver-eras-ross-lynch-is-music-obsessed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/28\/the-driver-eras-ross-lynch-is-music-obsessed\/","title":{"rendered":"The Driver Era's Ross Lynch Is Music-Obsessed"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Ross Lynch<\/u><\/a> is not not <\/em><\/em>used to obsession. \u201cI can definitely get pretty obsessed with health and discipline and wanting to just eat really good, get good sleep, hit the gym,\u201d Lynch tells PAPER<\/em><\/em>. For the 29-year-old musician, who came into the public consciousness as a teen heartthrob on Disney Channel\u2019s Austin & Ally<\/em><\/em>, he\u2019s also used to gaggles of girls obsessing over him as their on-screen hyperfixation.<\/p>\n

These days, though, Lynch is mostly on stage. He and his brother Rocky<\/u><\/a>, 30, have been performing together as a family unit for nearly two decades now. The Driver Era<\/u><\/a> is the latest evolution of that lifelong creative partnership \u2014 a band that started as a production duo and has since expanded into something much larger. Their latest album, Obsession<\/em><\/em><\/u><\/a>, out now, marks a new peak for the pair, both sonically and personally.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always tried not to reference other artists,\u201d Lynch says. \u201cWe just do whatever fits our vibe.\u201d While earlier releases veered into punk, funk and pure experimentation, Obsession<\/em><\/em> 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 \u201cmost honest\u201d record to date, and he means it: tracks like \u201cSame Old Story<\/u><\/a>\u201d and \u201cI\u2019d Rather Die<\/u><\/a>\u201d hint at real-life moments he\u2019s still not ready to speak about, even if the songs already have.<\/p>\n

Still, for all the vulnerability on the record, The Driver Era isn\u2019t losing its edge. Their live show \u2014 now accompanied by multiple semi-trucks worth of production \u2014 channels the raw, shirtless-on-stage charisma fans expect from Lynch, who says he feels most at home performing. But offstage, he\u2019s scaling back, skipping late-night partying in favor of \u201cfeeling good\u201d and being intentional. \u201cYou\u2019re borrowing happiness from tomorrow,\u201d he says of drinking. \u201cI want to take care of myself, for a lot of different reasons, but mostly for accessing potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

Much like its name, Obsession<\/em><\/em> is a study in habit and desire \u2014 the kind of project you blast on aux during a nighttime ride through downtown, skyscrapers flashing past. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of where this album lives,\u201d Lynch says. \u201cIt came from nights like that \u2014 where you\u2019ve got some close friends and you\u2019re just bopping around town.\u201d<\/p>\n

We sat down with Lynch to talk staying grounded amidst the mainstream Disney machine, obsessive tendencies and sobriety. <\/p>\n

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What has it been like doing press for this album release?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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 \u2014 just playing a bunch of shows, playing music, traveling around.<\/p>\n

You tour a lot. You just got off a leg, and you\u2019re about to start another one in South America, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/em><\/em> tour, where we have a big production, and we put on quite a show throughout July.<\/p>\n

I feel like when I see videos of you, it’s always on stage, shirtless with a guitar \u2014 that seems like your element. <\/strong><\/p>\n

[Laughs<\/em>] Yeah, I think so.<\/p>\n

How do you approach touring? Were there any tours or concerts you went to growing up that inspired you? <\/strong><\/p>\n

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 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

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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?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2019s definitely the go-to. But I\u2019m not very eager to go see people or do anything necessarily. I\u2019m mostly just recuperating after a tour. I think it’s not even just after the tour \u2014 it\u2019s during the tour. Staying on your P\u2019s and Q\u2019s is definitely something. I\u2019m at the point now where I\u2019m not really drinking or staying up too late. Yeah, I\u2019m pretty focused on trying to put on a great show. Whereas in my past, for sure, it was like post-show we\u2019re going to the bar, we\u2019re going to have a great time \u2014 which still happens \u2014 but I\u2019m definitely focused on feeling good and putting on a great show nowadays more so.<\/p>\n

I read that you\u2019re focused on sobriety or wellness in general right now. Is that true?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2019m interested in feeling good, yeah. A simple quote is, \u201cYou\u2019re borrowing happiness from tomorrow.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

And it must help that you’re doing this with your brother \u2014 your family \u2014 right?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not really, though. Because sometimes, like, your brother might be on a different vibe, you know? And it’s vice versa \u2014 it could be like I\u2019m 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\u2019re on different wavelengths. So yes and no. It can be good, but it also can be challenging.<\/p>\n

I am interested in this idea of sticking with your family and making music together, especially coming from something like Disney Channel \u2014 this big mass machine. How has that family bond influenced your work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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, \u201cHey, we want to sign Ross as an artist,\u201d and almost immediately I was like, \u201cI\u2019m in a band.\u201d We want to do the band thing. So it’s always been important. As far as it influences the sound, the stage, the performance \u2014 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 \u2014 everyone was sort of singing. But now it\u2019s 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\u2019re all collaborating on the music now. It started out as a production duo between me and Rocky, and it still is, but it\u2019s kind of becoming more of a band. We\u2019re independent too, so we\u2019ve assembled our own label team. It\u2019s like we\u2019re signed, but we have our own people doing what a label would.<\/p>\n

Did you ever feel any imposter syndrome around being singled out? Like, Hollywood Records coming to you specifically?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, not really. To be honest, when I think back on that time, I actually wasn\u2019t 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\u2019t even really know what was happening. I was like 15 years old. I was just going with the punches. I was like, \u201cHell yeah, I\u2019m in a band,\u201d 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\u2019t even really know what was going down. I was just excited to be an artist.<\/p>\n

You seem very stable in that sense. Where does that come from?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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