The Drums Confront the Past and Look into the Future on New Indie Pop Album “Jonny” — New Video for “Dying” with Rico Nasty

Within the past few years, indie pop band The Drums has become a one-person band, with sole founding member Jonny Pierce keeping the band going as a solo project. The same themes are still prevalent in the sound of their recent singles. In particular, religion remains a common theme, which Pierce has brought up in songs like 2011’s “Book Of Revelation,” where his stance as an atheist is as clear as the seventh day of creation.

However, on The Drums’ sixth studio album — fittingly titled Jonny — Pierce confronts his religious trauma and past relationships with all their baggage, opening himself up through sincere songwriting and new soundscapes never heard in their discography.

Since “I Want It All” in April, Pierce gradually unveiled nearly half of the tracklist leading up to the album’s release date, dropping a new single during the band’s US tour. Of the seven released prior, “Better” evokes the same raw, unbridled declaration of loneliness found on the band’s second album, Portamento. Amid glistening guitar and an amped-up drum beat, Pierce digs deep into his longing for an ex-lover that he can’t return to because his “loneliness fucks me better than you,” a line equal parts depressing and clever.

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For the first time in their career, a song from The Drums features another artist. Even more surprising is that Pierce chose to work with Maryland rapper Rico Nasty, who also appears in the accompanying music video for “Dying.” But the occasion was a long time coming for the two of them. “We’ve been showing love to each other throughout the years, and our schedules finally allowed us time to make something beautiful together,” said Rico on their collaboration.

“Dying” is one of the nine tracks not previously teased before Jonny, a purposeful move considering they all play with some form of electronic experimentation. Sonically, the song couldn’t be any more different than singles like “Obvious” and “The Flowers,” opting for a synth-pop direction that finds Pierce and Rico meeting halfway. Neither has done anything like this, but they sing their hearts out on one of the album’s lush tracks.

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The visuals for “Dying” might be one of the most striking in The Drums’ career, showing Pierce giving a eulogy at his funeral as people dance around. He and Rico stoically look out from the crowd, singing while lost in a daze before taking the stage and performing for the now motionless onlookers. It’s an eerie video if fitting for the cold lyrics longing after something more.

On Jonny, Pierce isn’t holding back in showing the darker aspects of love and loneliness. But within those dark places, he finds reasons to keep on living. “For much of my life, I have felt like a ghost floating outside of my own body, outside of my own experiences, outside of my own relationships,” said Pierce on the album. If The Drums’ past albums captured Pierce wandering through life wondering where it went wrong, Jonny finds him returning his soul to his body.

Words: David Sosa

Jonny by The Drums is out on all streaming services. For more on new music and upcoming live shows, follow them on Instagram.