The Drums – ‘Jonny’

When they first broke through with their highly-impactful self-titled debut album in 2010, The Drums were greeted as one of the more interesting and distinctive names on the blossoming indie-rock scene at the time. While many in their field were going for big and lively anthems, the band’s pursuit of more sombre aesthetics instantly set them apart from the crowd, but created a legacy that was extremely difficult to live up to. And with the band now practically a solo project for frontman Jonny Pierce, he looks to deliver his most intimate full-length to date, ‘Jonny’, a record that looks to revive their once promising direction.

While it is easy to say that their popularity hasn’t quite maintained the momentum many thought it would over the years, the fact that ‘Jonny’ is the band’s sixth studio album to date shows that there is still a strong appetite for The Drums’ signature sound, and that is pretty much what we get once again here. With a strong callback to those bright and shimmering ideals they first emerged with, combined with a familiar dose of more subdued textures throughout, this new collection sees The Drums name revitalised for the modern era, keeping a lively energy moving from start to finish.

While Jonny Pierce has certainly been a strong driving force to keep the legacy going, ‘Jonny’ still feels like he has plenty of fresh and interesting ideas in which to explore. With a brilliantly diverse approach to production that never loses sight of its core sound, The Drums continue to push for that innovative style they have always been known for.