Brutalism - The Drums: Review

The Drums

is a New York indie and dream pop act that began as a four piece in 2009 and have slimmed down to a one man project, the work of Jonny Pierce, since 2017. The band blew up with their debut EP Summertime in 2009 and many predicted them to be one of the next big artists to blow up in indie. But due to the rise of drearier dream pop on the back of Beach House's success the band fell into more of an indie niche. After a break following a 2014 album met with mixed reviews the band returned in 2017 as a Jonny Pierce solo act and achieved newfound life with well received singles among fans.

Review By Lavender:

I was never that big of a fan of The Drums in their initial run, despite it being during a peak period of musical discovery for me. Retrospectively their 2010 self-titled debut record The Drums is a pretty good one that didn't quite click with me at the time but I've grown to appreciate since. But my views changed on the group completely when the band returned as a one man act in 2017, with some killer singles and their best album to date, 2017's Abysmal Thoughts. With the lead up to Brutalism containing two of the best singles I've heard all year I was on high alert for a fantastic album and now having the final product available I can comfortably say that this is the most impressed I've been with the group to date. 

The lead single to this album instantly became and candidate for my single of the year and is almost guaranteed to land a top twenty spot, Body Chemistry is an indie pop triumph. With one of the slickest hooks I've heard all year and a driving, intoxicating instrumental the guitars exploding into the gorgeous chorus that Jonny performs perfectly is a gorgeous blend of sounds that proves on its own the songwriting capabilities the band is working with this time around. The follow-up single didn't hit me right away but since it came out I've begun to love it more and more every time. 626 Bedford Avenue is a strange acoustic moment at firs but once everything comes together it once again hits its stride in a big way. The song contains one of the catchiest hooks I've heard all year and the layered vocals do a lot to highlight yet another fantastic performance from Jonny. Technically Loner was the third single, released the morning of the albums drop but ultimately I didn't even hear it until I dove into the album for the first time. Despite this I'm glad it wasn't dropped as a true promotional single as it contains some fantastic guitar work but it totally dominates the track. The chorus is just okay until the final version of it comes around which features some fantastic choir vocals, and it also contains a bridge that seems totally unnecessary and is a very nothing moment on the otherwise solid song. 

So while the album isn't quite as bulletproof as its first two singles some of what made them so great can be found across the entire project. The opener Pretty Cloud is a no-nonsense start that hits you straight away with a catchy kick drum and some dramatic and intoxicating vocals. The chorus is a little bit flat compared to how busy the mix is on the rest of the song but as an opening track it serves its purpose of an introduction. The title track Brutalism is a sugary sweet track with a fantastic vocal performance and one of the tightest hooks on an album full of great hooks. Once again I feel the track could benefit from a little bit more impact from each of the instruments like the singles have but it really is the only thing holding the song back in any way. 

The closer Blip Of Joy may be my favorite non-single on the entire project. It's a bouncy, catchy, bright and rattling indie pop tune with a killer performance and an absolutely amazing moment. The transition from verse to chorus is a gorgeous explosion of sound just like Body Chemistry and as a complete tune it fully encapsulates everything that I love about this project. Kiss It Away as well is a cool experiment in the middle of the project. It opens with cool glitchy vocals that leads into a jangly guitar riff and a tight, catchy drum passage setting up another great track. The hook isn't the strongest on the album but in the second half there is a return to the glitchy vocals that is incredibly satisfying and the bass lead when the instrumental is reintroduced to the album is another fantastic moment. 

The sole song on the project that I actually don't enjoy is I Wanna Go Back one of the albums two more relaxed, ballad style cuts. The lyrics are a little bit too kooky for my taste and the performance pushes a boundary of melodrama that most of the other songs walk a tight line on. Its a little bit underwhelming but far from a bad song, which is an impressive thing to say about a projects worst moment. Thankfully Nervous is a much, much better ballad later in the tracklist. The song contains a very stripped back instrumental that helps highlight another brilliant performance from Jonny Pierce. every time he hits his high notes on the hook its yet another intoxicating swell from one of the best vocal performances I've heard across an album all year. 

There were no secrets before the release of this project that it was one of my most anticipated of the year and it has absolutely lived up to the hype. Not only do I think it is the best project The Drums have ever released but it leaves me waiting on the edge of my seat for what they may do next. Featuring both some of the best singles of the year and and a fantastic list of supporting songs it's hard to imagine an indie pop or dream pop album being better in 2019. All I would say about this project is that there are some production and mixing elements that could use improvement and at just 35 minutes it could use a little more weight to help make it a more fully rounded project. But what is here is almost always great. 8.5/10

For more indie pop check out my review of Sir Babygirl's Crush On Me here.