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.
You know what? ,.. I was bouncing up and down on my hloolw skull like a pogo stick at the beginning, dont ask me how I do this, it just happens, Im going to talk to a bishop next month about it, but anyway, after registering the song through once, I was convinced it was a boring reel, but it had a great ending, then something must have snapped in my mind, to the gnut of a broken box, and I began to think of the song as a whole, would the end be as astounding as it was if you didnt build it up in the way that you did? had I inherited a little brain damage?.. I suppose a few more whistles and bells through the first 2 quarters may have preened the animal for the show sure, that’s what I think Tim and Brad are CRUELLY relating to in thier SCATHING attacks above, but a build up’ is one of the most effective and sensational constructions, a real spike in the punch, to be enjoyed by all when orchestrated well, and I really appreciate your contributions in total and think your song Deep’ is a hit, and is up there with the best on this site so far. Thank you so much for sharing your work, I am voraciously eager for more, it’s scrumptious stuff.