(released 12th September – Moshi Moshi/ Island Records)
Perhaps it’s because the days are getting shorter; the kids have gone
back to school; my tan is already fading, and that sunny week in Zante
is slowly becoming a distant memory… But on first listen, The Drums’ new
record just doesn’t do it for me. Let’s Go Surfing was
undoubtedly one of the feel-good anthems of last summer, and following
the huge success of their self-titled debut LP, the band have had a busy
year of relentless touring across the globe.
So it’s impressive that the Brooklyn boys have been able to release sophomore record Portamento just fourteen months after its predecessor, and in fairness it’s not a bad album. Opening track The Book of Revelations gets off to a strong start, and early songs such as Days and first single Money are simple and catchy. The bass and synth combination on Hard To Love might sound like the background music from Lemmings, but the song works well with the addition of Jonny Peirce’s gloomy vocals, as he croons over some kind of heartbreak: seemingly the dominant theme of Portamento.
After electronic intermission Searching For Heaven, the latter half of the album takes a much darker turn. I Need a Doctor borders on the psychopathic (see “you know I love you, but I want to kill you”) and In The Cold is certainly more tormented than nonchalant. How It Ended provides an ominous conclusion to an album that is complex, honest, and perhaps more mature than the band’s debut. The Drums’ distinctive beach-pop sound remains firmly intact, but sadly Portamento fails to transport me back to a blissful summer feeling as I had hoped. Disappointing, but worth a listen.
So it’s impressive that the Brooklyn boys have been able to release sophomore record Portamento just fourteen months after its predecessor, and in fairness it’s not a bad album. Opening track The Book of Revelations gets off to a strong start, and early songs such as Days and first single Money are simple and catchy. The bass and synth combination on Hard To Love might sound like the background music from Lemmings, but the song works well with the addition of Jonny Peirce’s gloomy vocals, as he croons over some kind of heartbreak: seemingly the dominant theme of Portamento.
After electronic intermission Searching For Heaven, the latter half of the album takes a much darker turn. I Need a Doctor borders on the psychopathic (see “you know I love you, but I want to kill you”) and In The Cold is certainly more tormented than nonchalant. How It Ended provides an ominous conclusion to an album that is complex, honest, and perhaps more mature than the band’s debut. The Drums’ distinctive beach-pop sound remains firmly intact, but sadly Portamento fails to transport me back to a blissful summer feeling as I had hoped. Disappointing, but worth a listen.
Jo Southerd
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