The Drums “Portamento” is nothing but background music

Duncan Gregory
Theme Editor

The Drums’ lead singer Johnny Pierce claims their newly released “Portamento” is inspired by his extreme religious roots and contains motifs from societal violence and transgenderism. Unfortunately, The Drums’ all-important follow up album does not hold up to its anticipated uniqueness and much-needed transition from the endlessly repetitive style of the Drums.

Although “Portamento” is weak in differentiation, The Drums deliver an album that mirrors their precursor; they aim low but reaffirm what the band has always been, and always will be: likable background music.

The Drums were categorized in their debut album as a surf-trance group whose daydream swells acted as a satisfying soundtrack to any sunny day. However, their redundant melodies and recurring lyrics put the audience to sleep rather than entrance the listener.

“Portamento” is nothing new. In the track “Days,” the lyric “And our days go by / And I never needed you” is sung 20 times in the span of four and a half minutes. In a similar effort, Pierce repeats the title of the song “Hard to Love” 31 times in the track. Limited variation produces virtually nothing interesting in a piece with three notes and fewer words than there are letters in the alphabet.

“Searching for Heaven” is the one track on “Portamento” where the Drums attempted to write a song that differs from washed-out sunshine pop. The religiously lyricized piece debuts the use of The Drums’ love for synth in a song that is frankly uncomfortable to listen to. Pierce’s voice is indeed piercing and takes on a strangely sudden change from his habitual appealing tonality. The combination of inhuman whines and unorganized, repelling electronic instrumentation is a terrible variation of the band’s original style.

For first-time listeners, “Portamento” does not leave an unpleasant first impression because of the breezy surf-pop style. “Money” is a shimmer of light illuminating from the bleak crevace of “Portamento.” In this song, Pierce does what he does best by creating a catchy melody and attractive backing, making it the most popular track on the new record among Drums fans.

Ironically, another good part of the album is how it ends, with a track called “How it Ended.” This song blends gleeful riffs into an easy-to-follow tune. The Drums are fantastic at generating bouncy and memorable jingle, and they embrace that gift in these two tracks.

Despite those two songs, Pierce generally exhibits the energy of a senior citizen. He draws from ‘80s pop and low-fi bands such as The Smiths and The Wake that gives him an auora that is less than appealing to a lot of listeners: carelessness and disinterest in what he is singing about. In “I Need a Doctor,” Pierce is boring and unclear in what he is trying to convey. The Drums’ tendency to appear “too cool to care” ultimately hurts their sound and results in talentless tracks.

The track “Book of Revelation” does not exceed nor fall short of the expectations of “Portamento.” It could hold its place in The Drums first album, when in comparison to the new composition is a compliment. It is unfairly a stand-out of The Drums’ new release simply because it is being compared to such mediocre material. “Book of Revelation” is a catchy song, and the hint of synth is a nice twist on the band’s normal pallet and soundscape.

Portamento is an Italian word used to describe a smooth and rapid sliding between two pitches, executed continuously. By definition, The Drums definitely negatively fit that description.

However, portamento was disapproved by many critics as a sign of either poor technique, or of bad taste — a mark of cheap sentimentalism or showiness. This defnition better decribes the Drums’ sophomore album “Portamento” in comparison to their promising debut. “Portamento”was released Sept. 6 and is available on iTunes and stores worldwide.