The Drums will release Abysmal Thoughts on July 16th, via Anti-
New York City’s The Drums have been teasing us with tracks from their upcoming album, Abysmal Thoughts over the last few months. The album was already on the list of 2017’s most highly anticipated releases (a list that seems to be growing weekly), but the excitement mounts with each new track that frontman Jonny Pierce unveils.
Today, the group shares a brand new track, “Head of the Horse”, the third from Abysmal Thoughts thus far (check out the incredible first two songs “Blood Under My Belt” and “Heart Basel“). “Head of the Horse” perfectly encapsulates everything that listeners have loved about Pierce & The Drums for years now: alarming honesty under the guise of gracefully catchy melodies.
What seems to be special about Abysmal Thoughts (and “Head of the Horse” in particular), are the purely honest tales that are being told in the songs. Following The Drums’ last record cycle, frontman Jonny Pierce took a step back from music following the dissolution of his former relationship. Pierce found himself needing a spell of self-inflection, hoping to find inspiration and reconnection. Longing for a change, he left his longtime home of NYC and moved westward to Los Angeles. Finding himself in an empty apartment in LA, Pierce saw that the life and love he had planned were seemingly in shambles… but from those shambles, Abysmal Thoughts was born:
“Happiness can be confusing to me,” says Pierce. “It shows up out of nowhere, and before you can even get used to it, it’s vanished. But ‘Abysmal Thoughts’? I can rely on them – and with the political chaos that is raining down, who knows when these dark feelings will subside?”
The latest album brings The Drums back to where it belongs. Pierce is back in full control of the band, not only writing the songs on his own, but also playing every instrument as well, taking the helm of the vision for the band and its latest album.
“Head of the Horse” has ties back to Pierce’s hometown of Horseheads, NY, where he was raised by two Pentecostal preachers. Pierce states in the release for “Head of the Horse”:
[My parents] have always been outspokenly anti-gay and this made for a childhood that was riddled with self doubt, confusion and a lot of self-hate. I remember being anxious all the time and turning to music as an escape. Music brought me to New York City, where I live now as an adult. But I am coming to find out that being an adult doesn’t mean much at all. We are all just kids in bigger, older bodies. We all still know very little about the world and even less about ourselves. I find that the past still dominates a lot of my daily experiences – sometimes to the point of feeling paralyzed. The goal is to heal, and I think I am – but at a much slower pace than I am comfortable with.
With all of this inner turmoil, Pierce is about to put out the album that he’s always had within him, and there’s no doubt we’re all to benefit for that.
The Drums will head out on a summer tour later this year, including a special Lollapalooza Aftershow in Chicago. Full North American tour itinerary is below.
The Drums North American Tour
June 7th: House of Vans – Brooklyn, NY
July 17th: Neumos – Seattle, WA
July 18th: Venue – Vancouver, BC
July 19th: Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR
July 21st: The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA
July 22nd: FYF Festival – Los Angeles, CA
July 30th: Wayhome Music and Arts Festival – Oro-Medonte, ON
July 31st: El Club – Detroit, MI
August 1st: Bell’s – Kalamazoo, MI
August 3rd: Lollapalooza – Chicago, IL
August 4th: The Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH
August 5th: Hifi – Indianapolis, IN
