Band: The Drums
Release: Album: Portamento
Release date: 5 September 2011
New Yorkers’ The Drums have returned with their second studio album ‘Portamento’ which is due for release in the UK on 5 September through the label Moshi Moshi.
The Drumswere one of the ‘hyped-bands’ back in 2010 when they released their EP Summertime, which received rave reviews from the music press. They were named NME’s top tip of the year and also shortlisted as one of the BBC’s Sound of 2010. Consequently the quartet went onto support the likes of Florence and the Machine and the Kings of Leon.
Jump forward a year and now minus their guitarist Adam Kessler (who quit the band in September 2010) The Drums return with an album which is less ‘teenage and surf’ and more ‘grown-up and lyrically dark’. The question is has the hype surrounding the trio come together in this, their second album?
On listening to the first half of the album, it seems like The Drums have pulled off that always difficult ‘second album’, which sees track after track of good distinctive songs together with repetitive clever catchy lyrics. Add to this front-man Jonny Pierce’s echoed vocals over the top of syncopated guitar their sound initially comes together as well produced post-punk indie-pop … but then things go wrong.
The album has received mixed reviews in the music press which is most probably due to the fact that after their synthesised electro track Searching for Heaven you almost feel like you are listening to the same song again and again, just with a different tempo and lyrics, therefore letting this record down.
On the plus side Hit the Floor like a band who experiment with their sound and try something different and we feel The Drums have given this a go by ‘ tugging lightly at the boundaries of their sound while still retaining their recognizable sonic signatures’
The stand-out tracks are of course their brilliant single ‘Money’ and ‘What you Were’ with it’s brass and early 90s indie influences of The Stone Roses.
Hit the Floor’s opinion is that this is a good album but nowhere good enough. This is particularly frustrating after hearing their track ‘Money’ which shows how much potential this band has. Unfortunately we were left a little disappointed, as we were expecting more from The Drums, who are without doubt a very talented band.
Reviewer: Julie Elford
