More about: The-Drums
Brutalism is The Drums record we’ve been waiting for
The Drums have released their best album to date, and I’m writing this after the first play. It may sound impulsive or premature, but Brutalism is The Drums’ work we’ve long been waiting for.
Singer Jonny Pierce had more to offer after the false solo start of 2017’s Abysmal Thoughts, and two years on, he’s left L.A. for New York, and has put together his most deep and intimate collection of songs without sacrificing the uplifting infectiousness that made 'Let’s Go Surfing' a timeless hit in 2010.
Being timeless is no doubts a Drums perk. Brutalism sounds as much 2019 as 2010, proving how much indie owes to Pierce. Singles ‘626 Bedford Avenue’ and ‘Body Chemistry’ could work in a mid-noughties NY basement club where Cheap Monday skinnies and Adidas Gazelles fill the dancefloor, as well as sounding totally fresh. Despite still partially written in L.A., New York does in fact shape the Brutalism. The songs match brutally deep and honest lyrics with gentle melodies, exactly like the soft and intricate layers of béton brut (raw concrete) architectures the city has to offer.
Taking ‘Body Chemistry’, again, its catchy chorus (“I know some good luck and a good fuck, a nice glass of wine and some quality time is gonna make you mine, but it’s not what I’m trying to find”) is a scream for auto-determination and personal change; the song that possibly best mirrors Pierce’s rebirth and desire to express his unfiltered intimacy.
The Drums have reached not only lyrical but musical maturity too. The introduction – like the band’s name suggests – of played drums makes the tracks more organic and solid, especially where drum machines had previously left feelings of uncertainty.
Brutalism is released on 5 April 2019 via ANTI-.
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