Interview: The Drums

It’s been an exceptionally frigid winter here in the US, but I chatted this week with the singer behind some of the warmest, sunniest pop of the year, The Drums’ Jonathan Pierce. After a stratospheric rise through the blogs on the strength of single “Let’s Go Surfing” and the infectious Summertime! EP, The Drums have landed a spot on the NME Awards tour that kicks off in February. Pierce gave me the rundown on the band’s album plans, upcoming UK gigs, and surprising lack of surfing experience.

Caroline: It’s been a crazy year for you guys with all the blog buzz and now a new tour. What was the biggest moment for you?
Jonathan: We started this whole thing in Florida almost as a studio project or some sort of selfish endeavor, just Jacob [Drums cofounder and guitarist Graham] and I. A year and a month ago, we were in Florida writing songs. We seemed to be getting excited about it; we would post them online and we started getting contacted by managers and agents and all this stuff. And we realized we already had some fans. That was really a weird thing and we were taken by surprise. So six months went by, we wrote about 25 songs, and we decided we should probably move to New York. We did our first show [at] the end of May. It’s been incredibly fast, and I was really worried for a while because it seemed to be moving faster than we were. We’ve always had a strong vision of who we are and the type of music we want to write, but we’re trying to catch up with ourselves in a way.

C: So the band is headed off to England soon. Are you looking forward to touring Europe for the first time on a major scale?
J: Oh yeah, yes. We were over there a couple of months ago but we only played a few shows. We’re really flattered and excited to be part of the NME tour. We’re in disbelief that all of this is actually happening. Last time we were there we played a couple of places in London, Manchester, and that was it, but those were really special shows to us because other than me, none of the guys had ever been out of the United States. So to not only leave the country but to go to the places where all the bands that changed our lives are from--you know, going to Manchester, walking the same streets that Joy Division did and all that... And we’re really excited to go back over.

C: How was the crowd response last time you were there?
J: Crowd response was really overwhelming. We played Iceland just before [going to England]. Iceland, and then England, were the first times we realized the scope of the whole thing. It was the first time we saw a bunch of kids singing the lyrics to our songs. It was really exciting because we had never played anywhere except New York at that point. We had no idea what was in store, or if anyone cared at all. It happens a lot where critics can be excited about something but people don't really care, and it can be the other way as well.

C: Do you think it will be different now that you’ve done the NME cover and you’re touring with bands like The Maccabees who have a pretty established UK fanbase?
J: I have to be honest, we’re so cut off from that whole thing, kind of on purpose. We try to not listen to any kind of modern music. We try to stay out of any sort of scene, so I haven’t heard-- I think I’ve heard a song, but I don’t really know if I have [by] any of the bands we’re touring with. I know they’re kind of popular and cool, and we’re really excited to go on tour with them, and it’ll be nice to make some new friends on the road.

C: If you could go on tour with anyone, who would be your ideal tour mates?
J: Well, if they were still going, I think my favorite band to tour with would be Orange Juice. [pauses] Morrissey, but he might be a little dramatic to be on the road with.

C: I was surprised when I got Summertime! and found out that it was only seven songs. Are you planning another short album or a longer one next time? Will you keep writing and recording while you’re on the road?
J: Well, Summertime! is technically an EP. In the States they called it an EP, in England they were calling it a mini-album. The full length is actually completed. We wrote most of the songs at the same time we wrote songs for the EP. Without sounding dramatic, it’s a little more personal and a little more brooding; it’s not all handclaps and whistles. We wrote a big batch of songs in Florida, and we noticed that we had a lot of summery-sounding, feel-good songs. The subject matter was still sad, but they had this sort of summery, 1960’s thing about them, so we decided to put them all together and call the EP Summertime! and be as blatant as we could. It kind of stays in form with our biggest obsession, which is pop music. I think every great pop song has to be simple and straightforward. Naturally, what was left was a little bit darker, more serious, more brooding. But Jacob still says this one song called ‘Book of Stories,’ which I think is pretty sad, could play at a 1950’s prom, so I don’t know.

C: Do you think the summery feel was influenced by living in Florida? Since you’ve moved to New York, will the songs have a more New York feel next time you write?
J: As much as I don’t want to admit it, I am very much a product of my surroundings. [slightly ironic] I’m a very sensitive soul, so when something changes around me I’m somewhat affected by it. When I moved to Florida with Jacob it was the dead of winter in New York. We drove down and it was the endless summer, sunny and warm every day, and I think without knowing it we started writing songs with a summery flavor. Everything I’d written before had been kind of dark. I imagine if I went to Russia and wrote an album, it would come back bony and dark and somewhat obscure and strange. For writing the next record I don’t know what I’ll do, if I’ll go back to Florida-- I don’t know if I can stomach that. [laughs] But definitely, where I am does play a part-- not in who I am as a person but in the songs that I put out.

C: What’s your favorite song to play live? Besides ‘Let’s Go Surfing,’ which I’m sure crowds are always excited about-- or maybe that’s not a favorite...
J: [laughs] ‘Let’s Go Surfing’ is actually one of my least favorite songs to play live. It’s just-- I don't know. I’d rather play any other song really. I think my favorite is a new song that we haven’t played live yet called ‘Book of Stories.’ It’s a really personal song and it really means something to me. I think when you believe in what you’re singing there’s something very powerful about that.
C: Do you think you’ll stop playing ‘Let’s Go Surfing’ someday?
J: Yeah, but probably not for a very long time. But we might just not be able to take it anymore. [laughs]
C: I sense some animosity.
J: No, I mean, we love the song. But I don’t know, of all the songs--we were still figuring everything out when we wrote ‘Let’s Go Surfing.’ But I think it’s really interesting and fun, you know? And it’s done so much for us. It’s funny; when we wrote ‘Let’s Go Surfing’ I was literally like, “Should we just use the word surfing?” and [Jacob] goes, “Why? We don’t surf.” I was like “I know, I don't even know why. It might really hold us back because I don't know anybody who surfs, do you?” and he was like, “No.” I said, “So no one is going to be able to relate to this song. No one’s gonna like it.” But we decided to just do it, because our number one rule is just do whatever we want. It’s just funny that it took off, and all these people who don't surf either want to dance to a song about surfing.
C: So none of you have ever surfed?
J: No, not that I know of. That song technically--we wrote in on inauguration day, when Obama was coming into office, and it’s more a song about being carefree and being let out of prison and just running wild. Unabashed freedom, you know? It felt like all of America was being let out of jail on that day, so it was a spur of the moment thing. I think living in Florida, near the beach, surfing was in our minds subconsciously. It’s a strange thing how that song came together. If you listen to the second verse it’s all about Obama moving into the White House. We’re not a political band at all, and we’re not really political at all as people, but it was really hard to not be moved by what was happening at the time.

C: So my last question is kind of the traditional beginning of the year deal-- what are you looking forward to most for 2010?
J: I think the most exciting thing for us is to release this album-- that should be like early spring. We put a lot into it, we’re really proud. Being on the road is going to be interesting. We looked at our schedule the other day for this year. We leave in a couple of weeks and we’re not back until around September or October. And I think I’m going to try to find time to write more songs, I want to constantly be writing. I think the most exciting thing is the unknown. I was so bored with my life before this. A lot of people start a band up being really inspired, for me it was kind of the opposite, everything seemed so dull and boring and I was kind of depressed. So I’m excited for a year of being busy and excited. There are so many unknowns right now; everything is so new, and it’s exciting to ride the wave-- [laughs] no pun intended.