My affair with Drowners started in a funny way. I found one post in my news feed about them – an introductory piece to the band that Harry Styles liked (in short, he tweets lyrics of their songs much like he did with The 1975). As much as I hate that Drowners was somewhat introduced to me by Hazza (indirectly, of course), I couldn’t deny that that was really the case. I don’t think I’ve listened to their music before that, despite me having seen photos of their lead singer, Matt Hitt beforehand (he’s a model, so you know…).
On first listen, there is not one doubt in mind that you’ll classify them as Brit. They just sound British. They even have that alternative rock – Brit pop – Manchester band sound (they claim to be post punk though). There’s some resemblance to the Arctic Monkeys and The Kooks judging from their first track, “Ways to Phrase a Rejection” (if we need current references), but as you keep listening to the record, it’s quite obvious that there’s definitely an influence from The Smiths.
And that works well for me, because hello, it’s The Smiths.
Surprisingly though, the band is based in New York. If you listen to their sound, it’s hard to believe that they recorded in New York. Not that I have anything against New York (in fact, it may be the first place I want to see in America, because the MET!), but they just sound so British. So maybe I’ll just blame that to Matt Hitt’s nationality (he’s from Wales), surly vocals, and move on.
Their self-titled debut album offers their carrier single “Luv, Hold Me Down”, a contagious tune that you could literally play over and over (I tried it, it totally didn’t make me sick with ennui). Their songs are shorter, mostly under three minutes, so their 13-track album can be devoured in thirty minutes. The best tracks are mostly at the forefront, notably Track 2: “Long Hair”, Track 3: “Luv, Hold Me Down”, Track 4: “Watch You Change” and then Track 9: “Button on Your Blouse”.
I’ve listened to their album on an average of 3-4 times a day (every day), just this week alone. Yeah. I know. It’s quite obsessive. It’s a short album, and the hooks are catchy, you can pretty much daydream about being a teenager walking around in the cold streets of Manchester. And that’s all very good for me.
For more Drowners:
Dawn Lanuza 
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