Night Drive

Accurate title. This is absolutely an album to take a night drive to.

The cover (reminiscent of Duran Duran's Rio) tells you exactly what you're in for. This album is a spacious synth pop masterpiece. The music is minimalist with some great orchestral touches throughout. I really like that this album is not afraid to lean into the ambient and instrumental aspects. There's a sense that everything here has room to breath and expand and the Chromatics trust their audience to go along with it. The result is something that feels very much like a night drive, how appropriate.

This kind of dreamy, semi-detached synth-pop is right up my alley. The loose concept album helps maintain its moody, cinematic appeal throughout the long runtime.

Really just a fun time, and the Kate Bush cover was a welcome one.

Cool ambient music to work to. Dug it a lot.

Chromatics must be credited with their interest in taking synthpop beyond its usual boundaries. They don't always achieve what they seem to be trying to do, but they are creative and adventurous enough to make the journey always worth it. Here, their approach to synthwave, their dream pop landscapes, and their experimentation in a genre so little given to it, labeled them at the time as a group to keep a close eye on

I liked this pretty well in its solider moments. The cover of Running Up That Hill did highlight the limitations in the singing. Serviceable but no Kate Bush. And then there were some extended intervals of really intolerable BS noise.

My pick, great to see it come up. My favourite album of the century so far, one that really works as a whole rather than as a collection of tracks - like all the best albums. Feels like a real journey, with the details left to your imagination. Wonderful

Yes! Chromatics is what this list needed, thank you for sending this one in!

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Night drive, Mask, Tomorrow is so far away, Circled Sun, I want your love

The Chromatics have done some great covers over the years, I'm on fire, Into the black and this album features an absolutely gorgeous version of Running up the hill. This album had a nice transition from Side 1 to an atmospheric Side 2. Great recommendation and a great find!

Love me some Chromatics, even if this isn’t their best work (check ‘Cherry’ for what I think is their personal opus). This one drags a tad too much for four-star territory, but it’s still got the classic synthwave stylings and luscious, 80s-esque production that the band made into their own personal style. Not as strong melodically as their other works, but it contains some of my fav tracks from the band - ‘Tick of the Clock’ is a nervy masterpiece, and my first intro to the band courtesy of Hotline Miami.

Not a bad album to work to at 5am. Very hipstery, odd, minimalist electronica. I think if it hadn't suited my mood at the time I would have hated it, but here we are. 3/5.

Mix of synthy electronic sometimes with the modern whispy vocals and sometimes just grooves. Enjoyed it, could’ve been a little shorter for me

6/10. Definitely a pleasant listen, though I think I'd have gotten bored on some of the longer tracks if I hadn't been focused on work at the time.

So so. Not a classic or a missing album

The more I listen to Chromatics the less pretty sure I am that I dig the approach. Healer highlights, and the Bush cover is more typical; Not bad, but a flat ambientfied take on the material. Nothing wrong with vibes, but mere invocation of nighttime does not draw out a concept as time so easily can.

Thoroughly enjoyable. I think you may need to be on a long distance night drive to get the most out of it. Ambient, beatific and (obviously) a driving rhythm throughout.

Back when Chromatics played in season three of Twin Peaks, I was thinking I should listen to some more of this band. Then completely forgot about it. Thank you!

My favorite album by one of my favorite bands. As the name suggests, it really is perfect night driving music. Just an immaculate vibe. I like the mix of vocal and instrumental tracks and the album flow is perfect.

Synth-pop, synthwave, dream pop, Italo disco. No los conocía. Me ha gustado bastante. ¡Gracias!

I like synthwave so I like this album. My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Slight yes.

Consciously retro Synth and New wave. The sort of sound I love. It's a collection of the best music tags from Joy Division to the Suspiria soundtrack (Italian Giallo band Goblin) and a bit of John Carpenter thrown in (Halloween?) It's the vibe that I like the most- so languid and nocturnal. This could have been one of my favourite albums from 1979 but instead it's a new favourite from 2007. I'm now checking out their other albums......

Nice album. "Tick of the clock" is quite extraordinary. I like it.

This was definitely NOT what I was expecting from a band from Portland Oregon. I was a little perplexed at first, but fell into the groove quickly and really enjoyed this album! The cover of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” surprised me, both in that someone covered it, and that it was really my least favorite song on the album. It’s hard not to pale in Kate’s shadow… but that one ill-advised song choice aside, this is terrific!

Loved the first half. The start of the second dragged a little, but it really ended with a bang. 4.5/5

The couple songs on this album with lyrics are so much more enjoyable for me than the instrumentals. Even when she just says “Far away, yesterday” over and over again. Good stuff. The fifteen minute song at the end was unnecessary. It never ended up being worth it. The production is phantastic. A really enjoyable listen for any audiophile. Lyrics were alright, vocals were alright, but they were unique which is better than technical talent, the instrumentation was good, songwriting felt original. This was a good pick. Thank you for sharing. One of the only electronic albums on this list I’ve enjoyed. 4/5

Love this, effortlessly cool and atmospheric. Not sure the Kate Bush cover added a lot more but I did like the whole thing

Icy Xanax Disco

pretty good, nothing too special, and I think the second half was way too spacey and textureless (and this is coming from a Swans fan!) but I still really enjoyed this, and loved the Kate Bush cover - 8/10

I enjoyed the Chromatics' "Night Drive" more and more as it progressed, and went back for a second listen. It's a great moody vibe of synthpop. I've heard the name, but apparently not the music. And finding out that they made a punk album before this one has me even more intrigued. Perhaps I'll explore the Chromatics more.

As someone who has previously considered factors like time of day when listening to an album, or whether or not you are behind the wheel of an automobile, I take the title of this album as instructions. But if I can't get my hands on the automobile, at least I will put this on in the nighttime. Edit: still do not have an automobile After the stylish, neon-coloured cover art, I thought this would be a more dancey album. "Tick of the Clock" and "Killing Spree" are among the cuts that totally shatter that preconception, choosing instead to be ambient, wintery, and almost creepy much of the runtime. Not complaining! The Kate Bush cover was very apropos to walking after dark in -20 degree weather, being a bleaker affair than the original. February 20, 2026 edit2: I guess I'll listen to the full version, as the Wiki blurbs make it sound like it was originally intended to end with "Accelerator". If I wasn't enjoying myself so much, I'd cut it at "Tick of the Clock"

Groovy

outrun

Lovely chilled electronica with songwriting. Akin to XX or Air. Nice.

Fantastic retro album art, a slightly raunchy take on Patrick Nagel (RIP) to match the retro synthy pop. But the decidedly black background sets us up for a moody album that sounds like the soundtrack to a noir film where everyone drives Lamborghinis and nobody sleeps. A great groove to hang out in for a while. Good share! Really enjoyed it.

Not a fan to start with, and I thought the highlight was the Kate Bush cover. But it gets a lot better and more interesting as it goes along, getting into fascinating almost shoegazey instrumentals. The soundtrack to the greatest 80s horror-fantasy movie that never existed.

The phonecall at the start sets the tone perfectly: this album is the soundtrack to cruising empty city streets after dark, bathed in neon and solitude. The title track kicks things off with purpose; moody, minimal, and cinematic. “I Want Your Love” and the Kate Bush cover “Running Up That Hill” take the intensity down a notch, and for me, they break the spell a bit. But from “Killing Spree” onward, it regains its footing. “Healer” is excellent, and “Tomorrow Is So Far Away” might be my favourite track on the album—icy, melancholic, and beautifully restrained. It all winds down with the slow 15-minute build of “Tick of the Clock,” which stretches time and lets the whole thing dissolve into atmosphere. It’s a fitting end. It's some nice dark electro with a moody, gothy atmosphere that reminds me a bit of Kirlian Camera and while it’s not flawless, Night Drive is definitely something I’ll come back to.

Really quite enjoyed this

There's been a couple examples of this kind of thing coming up in the user list. Very produced, "dreamy" vocals. I tend to like that style because the backing music is very krautrock-adjacent, but it does lack that certain *das weiß ich nicht*

I really enjoyed this. Good fun. It did sound a little simple in places and it reminded me of what the kind of thing everyone starts making when they Garageband or Ableton but it was cool.

Great album by itself but certainly enhanced through Drive’s use of Tick of the Clock. Still wild the main version is 15 mins. Very versatile album and artist. Some great electronic instrumentals and others with vocals. Love the album cover too.

Love this album, a classic for me! Put on by DRIVE of course, as "Tick of the Clock" was featured in the movie. But so much great depth to this one, it's a sort of electronic/ambient album, with a bit of dance to it. Really great stuff, and love the album cover too. Thank you for reminding me of the greatness! 4.5/5

My choice would still be Kill for Love, but I like practically all their 2007+ work and Night Drive is a very good Chromatics album as well of course (I am not familiar with their pre-Italians Do It Better albums).

This is some Kavinsky-type stuff. Loved it. First user-recommended is a hit.

This one completely works for me. It's a bit of a haunting electronic vibe... it is all very approachable and just finds a consistent groove track after track. There's nothing that is out of the park (and there are some interesting choices in the long Tick of the Clock track), but overall i really enjoyed this.

Never heard of Chromatics before, but really enjoyed this, late night ambiance can see me coming back to this more.

Dreamy new wave

Funny Italo Pop album by Chromatics. I knew only their previous music and this is something completely different.

Started off loving it as it was different and the main list really needed more albums like this, the Kate Bush cover not so good, but the rest of the album is ethereal and great. 4

Another one I have never heard of. I'm open minded and enjoyed the journey. It is relaxing and cool... something I could play on a long drive or while studying / working. Amazing, no, but definitely worth time spent listening. 3.75

Never heard of this band before. Excellent composing, pleasant electronic music and one outstanding cover version :)

Something decent at last!

Enjoyable. Some synthwave-like music was needed in the list

I never knew this band really, but I think I've heard a few songs here and there from soundtracks, etc. Sounds like this album was a bit of a departure from their previous sound of noisy lo-fi; this is very much a polished nostalgia. Apparently reminiscent of Italo Disco? I can see it. Has a nice low-key quiet dance to it. Was a decent working soundtrack. A bit too long though. I do have a playlist called "Driving" and as advertised a few tracks work well for that. For that reason I'm rounding up 3.5 to 4.

Vaporwave - the album! I had a good time.

I’m not usually a fan of electronic or dream pop music, but Chromatics does something different that I really admire. I can’t quite describe how or why their electronic sounds different, but the album is (mostly) light and isn’t overbearing. The end of “Tomorrow Is So Far Away” sounds like wind howling. “Killing Spree” isn’t your typical discordant song because it’s dream pop, but it manages to make you feel soooo uneasy in this instrumental. Then the organ or organ-like sound comes in toward the end, and it’s so cool! The minimal vocals were a smart choice, to let their small choices be appreciated fully. I listened to Night Drive when I wasn’t in a rush, and I’m glad for that since I took my time and went on the journey Chromatics laid out for us. 3.5

Chromatics' "Night Drive" is quintessential synthwave, and it pretty much flirts with darkwave throughout, both of which combine to fulfill the album's namesake and sound like a night drive. On an individual level, none of the songs really stood out to me all that much, but looking more big picture, I liked the vibe and the atmosphere that this album set. Some of the tracks dragged a bit, especially a couple of the longer ones; I realize that this was part of the mood-setting, but it was a bit tedious. Overall, I couldn't help but feel like the entire album was longer than it needed to be. But all said and done, this was a decent listen that did a pretty good job accomplishing what it set out to do.

"Detached and dreamy;" "meticulously minimal and carefully controlled" – all these commenters have it about right. It's decently chill and intermittently interesting, but also more anodyne than not and intermittenlty tending to the inert. Other downsides include mostly indifferent vocals and excessive length. And one doesn't it consider a great idea to cover Kate Bush. One neither hates nor feels much urgency to make room on list proper for this one.

This feels like a very specific sounds in a niche genre. Cinematic for sure. I have always given Chromatics the benefit of the doubt just because they are a hometown band for me. Don't think I have ever listened to one of their albums in full though. This was enjoyable enough for sure.

Not bad synth pop, but definately overstays it's welcome. Favourite songs: I Want Your Love, Night Drive, Accelerator Least favourite songs: Tomorrow is So Far Away, Killing Spree 3/5

Digital pop with hints of lo-fi. While fun, it felt like it could have been so much more.

as someone said, good for night drive, correct

C’est de la bonne musique d’ambiance dans les bons moments, mais y’a genre des fois que j’m’en pouvais pu, avec des échos beaucoup trop long de synthés

Nimensä mukainen levy. Hyvää tunnelmaa, vähän pitkä.

Lite kluven. Ena stunden är det bra. Nästa stund är det ganska dåligt. Tror jag safe:ar med en trea.

3.5/5

It took me a couple of songs to get into it, but it's good. Not that good for a night drive if you want to stay focused.

For each user submission I will decide if I believe it was submitted to "correct the record" and deserves inclusion on the main list or if its more of a personal favorite or pet album of the user. Started out strong as something i could listen to at night, maybe on a long drive. Lost me in the middle and end especially the track that's basically a record ending sound.

I read the Wikipedia description before diving into this and was concerned. The phrase Italo Disco was used. That just didn’t inspire much excitement. Happy to say I was wrong. While not my favourite record it held a decent sound and pacing throughout. Enjoyable enough for the time spent with it.

Way too long. Kept it from being a 4. Parts were good, much of it was slog. Not super impressed

The 2010s would see a rise in false nostalgia for the '80s, with synth-heavy music being the soundtrack. Chromatics effectively predates this by a few years with their pop-oriented approach to the genre now known as synthwave: steady programmed drums, padded synth textures, and notable arpeggios that lay the foundation for each song. This creates a perfect atmosphere for neon-lit nocturnal adventures, or literally just night drives. It's a fairly meditative album with lots of subdued moments, and the Kate Bush cover isn't all that noteworthy, but the lasting feeling of an album like this is memorable for the way it captures a mood. Solid. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: A bit too niche for the list, but still a cool listen.

It was acceptable in the Eighties.

Italo disco, synthwave, synth-pop. Ni fu ni fa.

Very dreamlike, with the album title actually giving a fairly accurate representation of the music. Has a real 80s vibe, although points deducted for too many forced-retro aspects that make it feel a bit much at times (overused scratch effects). The limited vocals get old after a while [see note below about album length!], but I do love the deep synths which fortunately are more of what I noticed / hung my hat on. I've been expecting a lot less out of the user-submitted albums of late and this was no exception ... until it was. I don't know if I'd personally call this a keeper but it was nice to work to; found myself subtly bopping to it from time to time. It's too freaking long though - this is a legit commentary on modern "music" (really the presentation rather than the music). Keeping albums to a digestible length has more of an impact than a lot of acts realize. blahblah anyways I enjoyed it outside the Kate Bush cover which was alternately not different enough synth-wise to cover up the weaker voice - best forgotten. 6/10 3 stars. IMO: Belonged in the book? No.

It is a shame how synthpop went from such a lively and lush genre in the disco era into the 80s new wave, to something rather stripped down in the 2000s. Obviously it works sometimes, and this album isn't bad, but I like my ice cold synthpop to be more meaningful than a simple long drive through the night. When things pick up, though, the album shows hints at something more that I really do like, and I'll give it credit for that.

The instrumentals were top notch. The 'greek chorus' of the lyrics didn't seem intense enough to match

This was alright

OK I guess

I love that kick tone on I Want Your Love. This is hard to put into one camp of electronic music, which is why it feels very scattered sonically.

Discovered who The Chromatics were through their inclusion in the soundtrack of the third season of Twin Peaks (The Return). Went back to this 2007 album right after that. It's pretty well-crafted synthpop / dream pop, but in the grand scheme of things there's nothing in this record that Beach House hasn't pulled off ten times better in the following years. First proper song "Night Drive" is a nice calling card for the rest of the tracklist, but it's not exactly thrilling either. "I Want Your Love" is overlong and a little cheesy. The Kate Bush cover is OK, but I don't really see what it brings to the original song. "Killing Spree" and "Tomorrow Is So Far Away" use the same "Diamonds Are Forever"-adjacent xylophone/ glockenspiel gimmick (remember that old James Bond title song?), which makes one of those cuts a little redundant (the first one for me). "Healer" is a little more exciting than the rest, with a nice build-up towards the end. "Tick Of The Flick" is, on paper at least, an interesting 15-minute (!) attempt to ape Kraftwerk's hypnotic dirges, but lack of clear stakes and intents makes it fall on its face after only five minutes. "Shining Violence" and "The Gemini" are shorter and wonderful moody instrumental pieces, though. But the songs in between are just a borefest for me. And that female lead singer definitely lacks punch to properly dynamize her performance. Fortunately, closer "Accelerator" is awesome and mesmerizing. Very cinematic, the way some Kavinsky cuts are. Crazy how only the instrumentals shine on the album's second half. So yeah, it's a mixed bag for me. Not excluding that album from my list of keepers right away because of its peaks, but I highly doubt it will make the final cut. To be honest, I also hold a huge grudge against the Chromatics because of a later hit song ("Shadows") which rips off the melody of Sonic Youth's "Wish Fulfillment" in such a blatant and even odious manner it's amazing the New York band didn't sue at the time (guess they had other fish to fry, or were just not greedy enough to give a rat's ass about it). But that song wasn't on *Night Drive*, so I guess in this doesn't weigh too much on my assessment here. The thing is, I just hope they didn't plagiarize any other artist in this particular album. That would not paint the project in the best of lights, right? 3/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 8/10 for more general purposes (5 + 3) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 1 Albums from the users list I *might* include in mine later on: 3 (including this one) Albums from the users list I won't include in mine: 2

Donkey Kong Country music. Pretty interesting, despite the fact that I don't exactly dig this sort of electronic music. The Kate Bush cover was surprisingly really well made. "Tick of the Clock" was the standout though. Despite being 15 minutes of roughly the same thing, it's strangely hypnotizing.

I only know chromatics from their awesome song on the twin peaks revival and this isn’t exactly what I was expecting. I was hoping for vaporwave like shadow is but this was more electronica with some ambient stuff. It was fine and the running up that hill cover was interesting but it was a bit too long with quite a few songs that didn’t really add much to the album.

Definitely not the best song called night drive but this album is pretty entertaining. Some of the songs drag on a bit long for me but feels like that’s what they intended. Not sure how much I’d listen to the whole album again but night drive and the up on the hill cover are solid. 6.1/10

An interesting album. Poppy italohousey fun that's at its best when it gets weird and dark.

Slick. Ending on a 15-minute minimalistic instrumental was an interesting choice

Pretty cool album even if it's only a 3rd studio album. Really unique and modern tracks, and the vocals support the music well. It was an interesting take on Running up that hill. However that one track has more listens than all the other tracks combined. I wonder if the album would have been better without that cover?

"Sparse" doesn't even feel like a strong enough word. To find out this was recorded in the mid 00s is surprising, it'd slot right in during the early 80s. Very post-punk. A little samey, and vocally isn't the strongest, but it's not bad by any means. It's just not my thing. Favorite tracks: "I Want Your Love", "Tick Of the Clock"

A Kate Bush cover?!

I love the slick, moody, atmospheric vibe of this album. There's something not quite right about Ruth Radelet's vocals though, which are overly soft and lacking in depth. This style of music is still right up my alley though, and I would listen again. Fave Songs: Let's Make This a Moment to Remember, Tomorrow Is So Far Away, Healer, Running Up That Hill, Tick of the Clock

Italo disco, synthwave, synth-pop. Ni fu ni fa.

Decent enough, but for me primarily background music. Just under 3 1/2 stars.

When I saw the words "Italian disco" I have to admit I was overcome by a feeling of dread. But this was actually very good. A little long maybe, but overall enjoyable. 3 stars.

This is ok. On the one hand, I like the idea of a decently ambient album that scores a night drive. On the other hand, it's just a little boring. And I really don't like Running Up That Hill. 6/10

Decent background music, but some of the songs with vocals had atrocious off key singing and terrible lyrics

Naah, not really for me. Could have gotten a higher score if it was shorter. kill your darlings ffs

That “Running Up The Hill” cover wasn’t my favourite. I liked the art of the album more than I liked the actual album. Meh.

I really wanted to like this because Chromatics’ song Shadow was a moody standout from the Twin Peaks: The Return soundtrack. Unfortunately nothing on this album really came close Their overall vibe is good - eerie and ethereal synth pop with enough atmosphere to crush a space shuttle - and the album started off well. But then there was the god awful Kate Bush cover, with pitchy and hesitant vocals that absolutely ruined one of the greatest songs of all time. The few tracks after that mostly went on for far too long and got very repetitive very quickly (did the closer really really need to be 15 minutes?) A bit disappointing even though I enjoyed the overall aesthetic

I found this very dull and it's not because I don't enjoy minimalist/lo fi stuff I just don't think this was very good.

This kind of album starts pretty annoying and pretentious, but since it stays with us for more than one hour, we ended up almost enjoying it. Almost.