The Drums have been off the radar since 2011’s excellent Portamento, a honest and oftentimes painfully relatable album about the crumbling of a romantic relationship. Three years later, they finally have a new album ready to go. The album is titled Encyclopedia, which will be out in September on Minor. We’ve also been gifted with a song from the album, titled “I Can’t Pretend.”
Compared to the sound of their last album, “I Can’t Pretend” lacks almost everything except the basic skeleton. It’s instantly more deliberate than anything on Portamento, and has an almost pop structure, with a rock core. The last album felt delicate, like it was displayed under a soft light. If “I Can’t Pretend” is any indicator of the sound they are going for on their new album, it will be, at least in a comparative sense, much harder. “I Can’t Pretend” almost has a late 80s Pixies vibe to it, which hasn’t always been an obvious influence on their sound before. Either way, it’s a nice welcome back for the band. Check it out below.
Encyclopedia is out September 24th on Minor
