It’s safe to say that The Drums know a thing or two about music. With a critically acclaimed debut and guitarist Jacob Graham’s decidedly misanthropic Holiday Records – a digital release-only label offering free weekly music – they’ve clearly got their finger firmly on the pulse. So we felt pretty confident giving them control of our Ones To Watch section this month.
We asked the Brooklyn quartet to let us in on some of the bands currently tickling their aural tastebuds. And from scuzzy feedback to toe-tapping twee, we’ve been given an exclusive insight into the musical tastes of Brooklyn’s indie darlings du jour…
The Young Friends
Holiday Records signing The Young Friends are two teenagers who sing about uncomplicated teenage things: girls, parties and long hot summers hanging out on the beach.
But the duo actually hail from Phoenix, Arizona, which is of course a far cry from the Californian surf. So how did they come to adopt this beach-led sound? Vocalist Andrew McKee offers a simple explanation. “We went to San Diego about a year ago and were just super inspired by the beach,” he says. “We wanted to remember the vacation so decided to write songs about it.”
Spreading their easy breezy vibes, The Young Friends could be the ultimate poster boys for Holiday Records’ laid-back manifesto. And with track names like ‘Make Out Point’ and ‘I Won’t Break Your Heart’, there is also an endearing sense of youthful naivety to their work. All tropical guitars, cooing and handclaps, this is unpretentious ’50s pop, born from a love of “clean, fast-paced tunes,” according to McKee.
We could all do with a dose of fresh faced optimism from time to time and with their frank appreciation of life’s simple pleasures and their buoyant approach to music making, The Young Friends could be just the tonic…
The Drums say: “They have really great pop songs with great melodies. Rhey achieve an instantaneous almost inspirational mood that I think is missing in a lot of music. These guys defy any trend: they’re really good people making really good songs.”
Words by April Welsh
Where: Phoenix, Arizona
What: Youthful indie-pop
Unique fact: The Young Friends are each only eighteen-years-old.
Get 3 songs: ‘Make Out Point’, ‘Riverside Kids’, ‘South End’
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Clash Magazine Issue 53
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