The Drums // Portamento
Rip it off fast like a plaster. Perhaps that’s the best way of approaching that ‘difficult second album’...
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The Drums – Portamento (Moshi Moshi / Island Records)
Rip it off fast like a plaster. Perhaps that’s the best way of approaching that ‘difficult second album’; loaded with expectancy and asking questions, it may be better to get it out of the way fast. Floridian band The Drums have done just that in releasing ‘Portamento’ just a year after their debut. As well as fitting in a tour that took in the corners of the globe and sashaying through a change in band line-up, they managed to produce an accomplished sophomore, which makes me think they borrowed a device from Hollywood filmmakers, which give their protagonists the gift of slowing down time to fit more in. The band’s drummer, Connor Hanwick has seen a switch to guitar after the departure of Adam Kessler and the impact has seen most of their rhythm come from an ever-present undulating bass guitar, which runs through the backbone of the album with frantic urgency. The band is shaking off its superficial surf pop sheen, which although we lapped up and would again, gives way to a welcome vulnerability and honest subject material. There’s distance in the production; space for the wind to sweep through and carry you along. It’s an album I want to protect, look after and celebrate its tenderness, which is exposed despite the album’s brassy beach pop sound.
9/10 Tiny Dancer
The Drums – Portamento (Moshi Moshi / Island Records)
Rip it off fast like a plaster. Perhaps that’s the best way of approaching that ‘difficult second album’; loaded with expectancy and asking questions, it may be better to get it out of the way fast. Floridian band The Drums have done just that in releasing ‘Portamento’ just a year after their debut. As well as fitting in a tour that took in the corners of the globe and sashaying through a change in band line-up, they managed to produce an accomplished sophomore, which makes me think they borrowed a device from Hollywood filmmakers, which give their protagonists the gift of slowing down time to fit more in. The band’s drummer, Connor Hanwick has seen a switch to guitar after the departure of Adam Kessler and the impact has seen most of their rhythm come from an ever-present undulating bass guitar, which runs through the backbone of the album with frantic urgency. The band is shaking off its superficial surf pop sheen, which although we lapped up and would again, gives way to a welcome vulnerability and honest subject material. There’s distance in the production; space for the wind to sweep through and carry you along. It’s an album I want to protect, look after and celebrate its tenderness, which is exposed despite the album’s brassy beach pop sound.
9/10 Tiny Dancer
