The Drums - The Drums
Review by Jack Foley
HIP New Yorkers The Drums are the new name in indie-cool thanks to the effortless appeal of their ’60s influenced surf rock and British new wave inspired records.
Buoyed by the success of Let’s Go Surfing, which was released as part of last year’s Summertime EP, The Drums have continued to win friends and influence trends on both sides of the Atlantic with hits including Best Friend, Down By The Water and – more recently – Forever And Ever Amen.
It means that now the full debut album has finally landed, there’s a welcome sense of familiarity about it. It also means it’s a ready made “go to” collection of songs that are sure to provide a summer soundtrack to World Cup-themed barbecues, beach parties, surfing hang-outs and retro-laced late night parties.
And yet the formula for success is disarmingly simple: surf-rock, ’60s influenced guitar pop, drum machines and kooky synth loops, set against Jonathan Pierce’s raw, ragged vocal style.
But it’s the simple things that can so often work the best and even though The Drums do have a signature sound, they’re by no means a one-trick act.
The upbeat breeziness of tracks like Let’s Go Surfing, with its cool whistling, is occasionally tempered by more reflective moments such as the melancholy Book of Stories, which laments “I thought my life would get easier, instead it’s getting harder… without you” over some catchy riffs and vocal harmonising.
Even apparently upbeat guitar romps display a dark side, opening with the take-notice lyric “I know you’re trying to kill me”. And that’s after the trademark “ooooo ooooo ooooo” that precedes it.
Even when they’re depressed, it seems, The Drums can’t fail to have you singing, or whoo-oooing along with them. It’s another part of their appeal and, again, simple but effective.
Hence, The Drums is a really feel-good offering that will consistently have your head nodding along, your hips swinging, your hands clapping and your vocal chords excorcising to their shimmering melodic structures.
It’s the type of album that seems natural and right to turn to whenever the sun shines… and it’s loaded with memorable moments.
Aside from the obvious and former singles, there’s also the appealing It Will All End In Tears, which drops some more great riff work, the lovelorn and hopelessly heartbroken We Tried, the optimistic I Need Fun In My Life and the almost folksy I’ll Never Drop My Sword to savour.
But in true ‘hip band’ fashion, The Drums never skip a beat throughout this delicious debut album. You can’t fail to be addicted.
Download picks: I’ll Never Drop My Sword, We Tried, Let’s Go Surfing, Down By The Water, Forever And Ever Amen, Book of Stories, Best Friend
Track listing: