Not too many bands blow up behind Internet swells--OK, more do these days than ever before, but still--and yet that's just how The Drums first popped onto DC9's horizon about a year ago. Devout fans of Vimeo (the quality's just so much better than Youtube), we stumbled across the above clip, which was featured on the video-sharing site as one of its most-viewed items. And for good reason, too: This clip isn't just a smartly shot video, but it's got a great soundtrack, too, courtesy of the band's oh-so-infectious "Let's Go Surfing."
The band's capitalized on that success, too, scoring a Saturday night top-billing slot at Stubb's back at SXSW in March. We didn't necessarily love everything we heard at that performance, preferring the above lo-fi indie pop of the above clip to the brooding New Wave sounds the rest of the band's catalog boasts. But, hey, maybe we were too quick to judge. In this week's paper, Christine Borges writes up The Drums and is quick to applaud their efforts:
A Drums song can sometimes read like a '50s bubblegum prom dance postcard shuffled into a pack of pretty-in-punk party photos. What's more, these Brooklynites morph it all into something modern that transforms our ever-changing musical landscape. It's almost magic. Continue reading...Perhaps we were too quick to judge. When the band plays The Loft tomorrow night, we'll see for sure.
Update: Contest is over. Congrats to our winners!
