User:Hennyboo13/Sandbox

Formation (2018-2021),
Henry Faust began his musical career in college, when he joined the experimental indie rock group the JFP. In 2019, Faust formed a new group with bandmate Andrew Heiman known as Lemonlime. The group featured a more dance-oriented sound. In February 2020, Aidan Holmbraker, and old high school friend of Faust's, joined the group on drums, playing alongside Faust for three months before Lemonlime broke up. Faust and Holmbraker decided to form a new group, inviting their old friend Lulu McDonald to join in on vocals. The group's first lineup was completed with the addition of Forrest Utiger on bass and James Dana on rhythm guitar. The group decided on the name Drifft as a combination of the words "Drift" and "Riff".

Early Years (2021-2024)
Drifft's first live performances took place in the summer of 2021 in Santa Ana, California, often alongside the headlining act Nightair. Initially, Drifft's sound was fast-paced yet lighter and softer, taking on a more dance-rock sound, largely based off the sound of Lemonlime. Usually touring with larger acts, Drifft struggled to make money and support themselves through performing. In March 2022, Drifft was offered a record deal by the independent label Manimal Records. It was on this label that Drifft released their first single, "As You Please", which was followed by their first album, Long Hours of Night, released on October 1, 2022. The album was an early success for Drifft, gaining mostly positive reception as well as airplay on rock radio.

Despite the success of Long Hours of Night, Drifft was met with a crisis in 2023. Though the group was about to embark on their first headlining tour, James Dana left the group in December 2022, leaving Drifft as a four-piece band. Their first tour was a success, but it failed to meet the expectations of the group and Manimal, which ended their contract in March. Drifft toured again in the summer and ended up signing to 4AD under the management of Spencer Kaufman, who had written a review of their first album on Loudwire. In February 2024, Drifft released their second album, After the Ashes. Though the album was less successful than Long Hours of Night, it represented a change in the group's sound, marked by the increased dominance of Henry Faust's guitar playing. Though its sound was significantly harder, it was still considered dance-rock, and was nominated for a Loudwire Music Award.

Success with Speeding and Taking the Floor (2024-27)
Following the weaker success of After the Ashes, Kaufman sought to continue promoting the group to other record labels. He was finally able to negotiate a deal with Atlantic Records in August 2024, which saw Drifft as acceptable to sign. Drifft went ahead to record their third studio album, Speeding, at LA's Studio City Sound. The album was produced by Tom Weir and featured a harder, heavier sound that Drifft's previous two albums. This marked Drifft's transition from a dance-rock band into a riff-driven hard rock band, evident in such songs as "Struck Down" and "Out My Window". Also on Speeding was "Gift From Above", a slow hard rock ballad written by Henry Faust, which featured a "Powerful Chorus" as noted by Loudwire.