The Drums sure know how to make melancholy into an enjoyable four minute track. On the surface their new release, ‘Days’, is a melodic song with an all-too-catchy hook that could easily be set against a Skins scene, or the soundtrack to a lazy summer. But, dig deeper, and you can hear the stifled sighs of heartbreak between the sparse instrumentation.
Similar to the rest of their sophomore album, ‘Portamento’, ‘Days feels like a more matured version of themselves, both lyrically and musically. Yes, whilst they are still doing incredibly repetitive lyrics (there cannot be more than ten different sentences in the whole song!), it is done with a seemingly deliberate attempt at minimal indie pop; read more repetition and sparse instrumentation. The delicate guitar riffs and catchy drum beat only exacerbates this!
The subject matter, described by lead singer Jonathan Pierce as being about “that moment when you realise that you are someone different from what you once were”, seems a little existentialist and deep for the jaunty tune, but that has become a signifier for a track by The Drums; Harmonies? Check. Sun-licked instrumentation? Check. Intensely downbeat lyrics? Check. It’s what Morrissey would have created if he had been a fan of surf pop…
‘Days’ is annoyingly catchy, perfectly crafted and heartfelt. It is a step towards the maturity they have needed to become a critical success and, while it is not as obvious a choice as ‘Money’ for a single release, it is a lovely track nonetheless. A perfect advert for a wonderful album.
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