Hotly tipped newcomers The Drums have spoken out about their eagerly anticipated debut album.
Hype is a strange thing. Used in the right way, it can propel a band into the mainstream, reaching undreamt of heights. However unbridled expectations can also push new acts to self-destruction.
Hailing from Florida, The Drums are one of the most hotly tipped bands of 2010. With just one EP and a handful of singles under their belt the band have been named by many sources as a pop phenomenon in the making.
Speaking to BBC 6Music, singer Jonathan Pierce revealed that the band began by attempting to rip off little known Factory Records group The Wake.
“We knew we wanted to start a band together and we really had the idea of completely ripping The Wake off, which proved to be impossible and in turn we ended up falling short of that, but kinda finding our own sound,” explained the singer.
The Wake were a dance-punk group who had an austere reputation. Strict vegetarians the band nonetheless included future Primal Scream hedonist Bobby Gillespie in their line up at one point.
Continuing, The Drums singer names classic 60s pop as a primary influence. “The 50s, 60s influences came from moving from New York to Florida, sunny vacation-land Florida, in the dead of winter” he claimed.
“It was really warm and vacation-like, and we just started listening to girl groups from the 1960s, The Shangri-Las and The Ronettes and all that. It infused its way into the sound in a pretty organic way.”
The Drums are set to release their debut album later this year.
