The Drums
Brooklyn-buzz-band THE DRUMS are a 1950s postcard of the American Dream; perfect hedge-trimmed suburbia. The quartet of waifs, rolled up jeans and boat shoes, comprised of vocalist Pierce, guitarists Graham and Hessler and drummer Hanwick, are the Saccharine in your soda pop and the irrefutably hyped band of 2010.
Hot on the heels of their ‘Summertime!’ EP comes their self-titled debut; a sugar-coated lick of varsity jackets, high school crushes and broken hearts. The boys have not dared waiver from – or toy with – our expectations. Tracks are laced with distant handclaps reminiscent girl Pop band Shangra-Las, but it seems that a fine polish has been applied to these shoes.
Neither profound or pretentious, The Drums continue to deliver the Post Punk influences of Glasgow’s Orange Juice; their music is sugary and sweet, emitting a heavy whiff of the Beach Boys. However, while many songs are remembered from their EP, new offerings Me and the Moon and Book of Stories portray front-man Jonathan Pierce (the one with angular dance inflexions) in a deeper lyrical light.
Although less Lo Fi, as expected, the effortless-yet-effective melodies are joined by sharp catchy hooks and school-boy harmonies. Their evocative, eerie ambience is a bit like the early stuff from The Cure and the lead croonings of Morrissey and Bowie. ‘The Drums’ by The Drums is an hour-glass creature; a carefully measured mix of innocence and naivety – wilful and uncomplicated Indie Pop.
