The problematic second album is a task that can ruin an artist over night. Having been so enthusiastically received The Drums were put on a pedestal and thrown into headline tours from their debut LP and success of summer single ‘Lets Go Surfing’.
So with an early copy delivered in our inbox we can confirm the Joy Divisionesque bass lines and pop choruses of The Drums second LP ‘Portamento’ are still strong though it is an album primarily much darker with tales of suicide, heartache and death, death, death. Goth Surf? Not quite but opener ‘Book of Revelations’ is a haunting yet upbeat track with New Order style influences on the end vocal that was used on their 2009 single ‘Best Friend‘. ‘I’ve seen the world and there’s no heaven and there’s no hell and I believe when we die we die’ provides the slightly depressing hook and chorus.
Portamento is still electro pop, very 80’s inspired indie and not much different from their debut, it has the same instantly catchy appeal and the same style of song notably evident in the first single ‘Money’ with Pierce’s high pitched vocal. ‘Searching for Heaven’ has an interesting synth melody and is probably the track that is most surprising as it’s so different from everything else with only synth and vocal throughout. The dark and brooding ‘If He Likes It Let Him Do It’ has a great chorus and falsetto vocal, the drum beat explodes into the track and is quite brilliant.
We wouldn’t say it’s pushing boundaries or predominantly offering anything different (on the whole) from their previous material but it is ridiculously catchy. It’s a thumbs up from us and will be interesting to see how the band achieve this sound live with all the looped vocal melodies overlapping. However this could explain the two new members joining them on stage for live performances.
Portamento is out 12th September. Get it, play it, love it.