At The Drive-In is quite simply one of the most intense rock bands you will ever hear. All great punk and hardcore bands achieve their greatness by tapping into the primal intensity of rock n roll. At The Drive-In takes it further in two distinct ways: they raise the intensity level to a point that feels almost unhinged, and they add a multi-layered musical complexity and sophistication that is not normally typical of punk or hardcore.

The music historians are apparently now calling this style “post-hardcore,” which makes some sense. Post-punk added introspection and complexity to punk, so it fits to apply the label “post-hardcore” to an introspective and complex take on hardcore. In general, though, post-punk was also a bit less intense and aggressive than punk was, whereas At The Drive-In is not even a little bit less aggressive than hardcore- if anything, it's more so!

The lyrics of At The Drive-In are surreal and usually don't carry an obvious story or message. Sometimes they seem to hint at a story, but they never make that story explicit. In some cases, if you find out the origin story behind a particular At The Drive-In song, there isn't much of an obvious connection to some of the lyrics. I'd put their lyrics in the category of songs that evoke a certain feeling rather than spelling it out. Some of the songs also have a vaguely “science fiction” quality to them, with references to outer space and alien devices.