“Wake up, it’s a beautiful morning. Honey, while the stars are still shining. Wake up, would you like to go with me? Honey, take a run down to the beach.”
Those lines, the infectious whistling, engaging melody, and the upbeat arrangement of the band’s first single, “Let’s Go Surfing,” were what first caught my attention.
Who are these guys? That song’s so cheery and contagious; it does make me want to go to the beach!
That was about four years ago. The Drums has since released an EP and two full-length albums, and toured around the world after the release of their first single.
Along with drummer Connor Hanwick and guitarist Adam Kessler, The Drums was formed by friends and former Bible camp buddies Jacob Graham and Jonny Pierce in Brooklyn in 2009.
The Drums is probably one of the most fast-tracked success stories in the indie pop music circuit, with a stream of accomplishments in a relatively short span of time.
The first EP, “Summertime,” was released the same year that the band was formed.
Containing six charming beach pop tracks, the EP caught the attention of listeners and demanded an immediate follow-up.
The band’s first eponymous, first full-length album was released in 2010, raking in positive reviews from critics and driving the band’s popularity to meteoric heights.
The band encountered a temporary slump when guitarist Kessler left and doubts on whether it would continue to flourish arose from Kessler’s departure.
Self-produced
Skeptics were proven wrong, however, when the remaining threesome made kitchen recording history by self-producing what would become the sophomore LP in Pierce’s kitchen.
Then-drummer Hanwick took over guitar-playing and Graham shifted to synthesizers, which has always been the latter’s preferred instrument.
The result was a culmination of The Drums’ pop sensibilities and tenacity for creating endearing lyrics, combined with a slightly differentiated evolution of the band’s sound.
“Portamento” was released in 2011, only 14 months after the self-titled debut release.
Many would be amazed at the rate that these guys could churn out music but for Graham, one of the band’s founding members, it was probably because songwriting comes naturally to them.
“I think it’s just that we love writing songs. It’s kind of what we do for fun and what we do to relax. Even if we’re not writing songs for The Drums, we’re kind of writing songs all the time,” he explained.
While majority of bands are able to complete songs through continuous jamming sessions, Graham said their process of creating music was slightly different.
“When we write and record, there’s a few different ways that we could do it. Maybe Jonny and I will get together and work out a song from the ground up. Or Jonny will just do a song by himself. Or I’ll kind of do a song by myself, or maybe call Jonny so we can work on it together, and vice versa.”
“We’re not natural guitar players. We don’t just get together and jam until a song comes out; it’s usually kind of a more personal sort of closed project. But it’s worked really well for us,” he added.
Signature sound
Graham met Pierce when they were only 11 or 12 years old and were able to connect musically at such a young age. They were obsessed with the same bands and listened to the same music even back then.
Graham said this connection was one of the possible reasons why the band has survived and succeeded over the years.
“It’s been natural for us to get together and make music. And even now, I’ve met people from all over the world and who are into the same music as I am, but I still haven’t met anybody who I quite connect with on the same level musically.”
Pierce and Graham have always taken music seriously but find significance in the fact that the band has finally been able to nail its signature sound, a sound that has found a place in the hearts and playlists of fans worldwide.
Graham said they were inspired by certain successful bands but pointed out a more personal reason why people appreciate their music.
“I think that our subject matters are very… it’s kind of a specific thing, kind of consistently sad and lonely songs, and I think that there are certain kinds of persons that are attracted to that. It’s sort of the music for the underdogs or those who are always going through heartbreak.”
The Drums has recorded material for its next album, which, according to Graham, will have the most variety in it and lots of “twists and turns” compared to the previous two releases. They intend to release the album before the year ends.
The Drums is all set to pluck at our emotions and charge up the excitement in this year’s Wanderland Music and Arts Festival.
Head on over to the Globe Circuit Event Grounds in Makati City on May 17 to see and hear The Drums play live, along with several other international and local artists.
