B-Side Guys

Released in August 2024, “patrick” emerged from an unlikely creative incubator—a bedroom perched above Dublin’s historic Olympia Theatre. This physical liminality—hovering between domestic space and performance venue—serves as the perfect architectural metaphor for drifting.’s artistic positioning within Dublin’s queer-rock underground.

As the fourth installment in the “Fairy Trail” visual series documenting queer Ireland, “patrick” functions simultaneously as standalone track and documentary fragment. The VHS-filmed aesthetic deliberately evokes a pre-digital intimacy, positioning the viewer as witness rather than consumer. This technical choice creates a compelling friction with the song’s contemporary emotional landscape, where boundaries between connection and exploitation blur across late-night Dublin streets.

The track opens with immediate confrontation: “Walking down the way to mine/See that I just caught your eye.” This urban nocturnal encounter quickly reveals competing desires, with the narrator recognizing exploitation beneath surface attraction: “You just want me for the ride/But I don’t want to be that guy.” The direct vocal delivery cuts through the hazy, guitar-driven instrumentation, creating a tension between dreamlike soundscape and unflinching lyrical clarity.

What distinguishes “patrick” is its refusal to romanticize rejection. The repeated plea “Can I just get away?” emerges not from self-righteous dismissal but from emotional self-preservation. When the narrator confesses “Fucked too much I want to cry/Care too much I want to hide,” vulnerability becomes the song’s gravitational center—a refreshing departure from indie rock’s often detached pose.

The production choices merit particular attention. While the track incorporates elements of shoegaze and dream pop, it maintains garage rock’s urgent energy through an especially dynamic drum section. This approach prevents the song from dissolving into atmospheric abstraction, instead grounding it in physical sensation—making it indeed ideal for “road trips n energetic playlists” as suggested in promotional materials.

As part of the larger ’73 Dame Street’ album, “patrick” represents a significant achievement in place-specific storytelling. By documenting a particular intersection of identity, desire, and Dublin geography, drifting. has created something far more substantial than mere indie rock nostalgia—a sonic map of queer navigation through urban night.