Photo by Moni Haworth
On June 16th, The Drums will return with their first album in three years, “Abysmal Thoughts”. Due out through ANTI-, it serves as the outfit’s fourth overall following Encyclopedia.
Spanning 12 tracks, the new LP was recorded in frontman and founder Jonny Pierce’s upstate New York cabin and Los Angeles, where he moved not long after the sad dissolution of a relationship. It was in the City of Angels and his new digs that he found himself finally confronting the disappointments and loneliness of his post-Encyclopedia life.
“I said I wanted to let life happen?” he says in a press release. “Well, the universe listened and life began to fuck me real good! But honestly, I make the worst art when I’m comfortable. The stuff that resonates with me the longest — and that resonates with others — is always the stuff that comes out of my misery.”
“Abysmal Thoughts” consequently contains some of “the most revelatory work” that Pierce has put out. Making it that much more personal, Pierce not only wrote each and every one of the tracks himself, but also played all the instruments heard on the LP. Musically, the album’s said to be “alive with the hyperdramatic emotional potency of the Smiths, the arch literary pop moves of New Zealanders like the Verlaines and the Clean, and the riotous clatter-punk power of the UK DIY bands of 1979.”
As a preview, lead single “Blood Under My Belt” has been revealed. It’s an airy cut in which Pierce admits his wrongs to a partner while also professing his undying love. Stream it down below.
“Abysmal Thoughts” Artwork:
“Abysmal Thoughts” Tracklist:
01. Mirror
02. I’ll Fight for Your Life
03. Blood Under My Belt
04. Heart Basel
05. Shoot the Sun Down
06. Head of the Horse
07. Under the Ice
08. Are U Fucked
09. Your Tenderness
10. Rich Kids
11. If All We Share (Means Nothing)
12. Abysmal Thoughts
In support of the LP, The Drums will head out on the road beginning next week.
The Drums 2017 Tour Dates:
03/08 – Pomona, CA @ The Glass House ^
03/09 – Las Vegas, NV @ Neon Reverb Festival
03/10 – Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole ^
03/11 – Phoenix, AZ @ Viva PHX
03/12 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace ^
03/14-17 – Austin, TX @ South By Southwest
03/18 – Dallas, TX @ Trees
07/17 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
07/18 – Vancouver, BC @ Venue
07/19 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
07/21 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
07/30 – Oro-Medonte, ON @ WayHome Music Festival
^ = w/ Jay Som
