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Tuesday, May 7, 2019

The Drums at Mercury Lounge

Jonny Pierce
Jonny Pierce grew up in Horseheads, a small town in upstate New York, where his parents were pastors of a medium-sized church. As a youth,  he found  in his basement an old analog synthesizer that the church was no longer using, and he started using it to write and record songs in his bedroom. Pierce formed a short-lived electro-pop group initially named Goat Explosion, eventually renamed Elkland, and released one album in 2005 before splitting in 2006. In 2008, Pierce relocated to Kissimmee, Florida, to develop the collaboration that would become the Drums. A year later, the musicians moved to Brooklyn, New York, performed in the NYC Pop Fest, and released an EP. The Drums received immediate media attention: the Drums reportedly became the most Shazamed band of 2009, British magazines lauded the band as a top pick for 2010, and Pitchfork's 2009 Readers' Poll voted the Drums as the "Best Hope for 2010." Band members exited one by one, and by 2017 the Drums became Pierce's solo project. The Drums released a fifth and most recent album, Brutalism, on April 5, 2019.

The Drums headlined Mercury Lounge tonight as part of the venue's 25th anniversary series. Pierce was backed by Bryan de Leon and Tom Haslow switching between guitar and bass and by Bryan de Leon on drums, performing songs from all five Drums albums. Pierce crooned broodingly, as repetitive, spindly guitar lines made the songs bright and bouncy. The juxtaposition of these modes made it seem like there was sunshine on the band but a rain cloud over the singer. Pierce's vocal delivery exuded sadness and vulnerability while the band's taut, shimmering surf guitar and a pounding beat sprung rays of summer-like hope. This was indie-pop music with a Britpop flair and emo sensibilities.

Setlist:
  1. Days
  2. Best Friend
  3. Heart Basel
  4. Body Chemistry
  5. Book of Stories
  6. Mirror
  7. Brutalism
  8. I Can't Pretend
  9. Loner
  10. Blip of Joy
  11. Let's Go Surfing
  12. Money
  13. 626 Bedford Avenue
  14. How It Ended
Encore:
  1. Rich Kids
  2. Blood Under My Belt

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