The Drums Host Another Sad Dance Party With Abysmal Thoughts
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The Drums Host Another Sad Dance Party With Abysmal Thoughts

Jonny Pierce adds depth to the band's dreamy dance pop album about love, loss, and the meaninglessness of it all.

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The Drums Host Another Sad Dance Party With Abysmal Thoughts
the drums

The Drums continue to embrace the self-indulgence of heartbreak and playful (yet honest) self-deprecation with their fourth album, "Abysmal Thoughts." While keeping true to their signature new wave melodies influenced by the likes of Orange Juice and Joy Division, the lyricism follows the moody poetic path of The Smiths.

The Drums' influences meld together with their own unique interpretation of dance tempos and sad lyrics that depict failed attempts at functioning relationships, the addiction of nostalgic daydreaming, and the intensity of loving and losing someone you should've never been with in the first place. While the subject matter of this album isn't by any means original, Jonny Pierce's use of paradoxes, repetition, and unapologetic lyrics somehow transforms these themes into refreshingly truthful ballads

The album opens with the dreamy and dreary anthem of self-examination, "Mirror." While the drums pick up and carry you to an infectious chorus, it's hard not to sway through that existential crisis that Pierce howls about.

The second track is a fast paced fever dream of naive infatuation and a teenager's idea of what it means to be in love. While Pierce promises to fight for his lover's life, it's hard not to imagine that house party where you lusted after a hot mess you should've stayed clear of. Just like those intense feelings of drunken love, the song ends abruptly but conclusively.

When "Blood Under My Belt" was released as a single, I couldn't help but grieve for the bittersweet pop anthem. Soon enough all the Sad Art Boys will hijack this genuine song of personal downfalls and the desperation of keeping a relationship together after an unforgivable mistake to use as a siren call for their Manic Pixie Dream Girls. The reverb and layers of staccato guitar riffs give Pierce's confession of hurting a loved one--while begging them for a second chance under the guise of self-awareness and repentance--a deeper sound than anything from "Portamento."

One of the strongest songs on the album, "Head of the Horse," opens with a static, echoing dialogue of introductions and a bubbly "welcome" before the guitar and Jonny's soft "oohs" lull through the speakers. The dysphoric anecdote of coming out is coupled with the repeating line, "he hugged me when I came home" which transforms into "this would be the last hug" and finally ends as, "please hug me when I come home." It's the loneliest, most heart-wrenching track of the album that evokes an overwhelming amount of empathy and the realization that everyone who grew up seeking approval and love will walk around adulthood as empty children if we continue to sift through that shoebox of memories.

The continuance of creating uplifting, jumpy yet flowing melodies with the backdrop of a lover's nihilistic soliloquies is something that Pierce has developed to perfection. While any listener can tell the influences that brought The Drums' iconic synth, sad dream pop to fruition, it's undeniable that their sound is a much needed indulgent reflection of what it means to experience love, loss, and life in a world where nothing seems to matter--the bonus being you can dance around in your room to heartbreak and memories of toxic relationships.



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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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