The Drums - 'The Drums'
Oh, The Drums, you poor Drums. The band have constantly been compared to the English C86 bands of the late 80s, whose rebellion against the Thatcherite era imbued the music with passion and intelligence. Yet The Drums have come under fire for perfecting the style, but losing the substance. All I can say is, who cares? When music is this fun, I don’t need substance.
Their debut album is full of summer indie-pop, reminiscent of early Beach Boys and 60s girl groups. After the release of the acclaimed 'Summertime!' EP back in October last year expectations were high for the album and it is definitely full of the same sugary harmonies and angsty teenage lyrics. The standout track is 'Best Friend' which has been knocking about on the internet for as long as The Drums have been but was a woeful omission on the EP. Featuring the impressive first line “you’re my best friend but then you died” it goes on to tell the story of someone who waits every day for their deceased friend. The subject matter is the exact opposite of their bouncy breakthrough 'Let’s Go Surfing', which if rumour is true, was written on the day of Obama’s inauguration and contains all the feelings of buoyant hope and joy associated with the event. In these worrying times of economic disarray, it’s a song to throw on, dance around to and shout “I don’t care about nothin’!”.
Whether The Drums have any lasting power is yet to be seen. The album is a little repetitive and samey and so evocative of summer fun that it may not survive the winter months. So make the most of it now while you can, because it’ll probably never sound so good again.
'The Drums' was released this month on CD and digitally. Buy at Play.com and receive a free ltd ed 5" vinyl.
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