Exciting times – The Drowns have recently released their 4th full length studio album, Harsh Reality via Pirates Press Records, additionally having a live LP, a mini album and various 7ins and splits to their name (also primarily via Pirates Press Records). Avid readers of this site will probably be aware that I’ve been jocking this shit since the debut LP, View From the Bottom dropped back in 2018 on 1984 Records / Live From The Rock Room / Bypolar Records / Gunner Records. This debut has also subsequently been reissued by Pirates Press Records, as well as inspiring the name of the global Drowns family: Crew From the Bottom. I guess, er, think Turbonegro Jugends but not for proper doyles, or something.
Anyways, Harsh Reality was recorded by the legendary Bill Stevenson (Descendents, Black Flag) and mastered by Jason Livermore at punk rock institution The Blasting Room, and you can get your filthy paws on it right now (I’ll throw in the links at the bottom as per usual).
Over the years, I’ve enjoyed catching The Drowns live a bunch of times, as well as seeing them go from strength to strength with their recorded output. This has seen them go from beginnings firmly rooted in street punk (ala Swingin’ Utters, The Ducky Boys, Bouncing Souls and Hudson Falcons etc.) to taking on a glam influence from the likes of Slade, New York Dolls and Mud. Glam is to Oi! as pub rock is to punk, after all. Although I have thought all their output has been excellent, I will express a strong preference for the street punk era stuff.
Which I suppose brings us to this new LP, Harsh Reality. I think it’s safe to say that the great ship The Drowns is steering back into street punk infested waters, which pleases me greatly. Looking at the record that has kindly been sent to me by Pirates Press Records (shout out Jay Menapace), it comes housed in a deluxe gatefold sleeve with a die cut cutaway. It depicts a mother and child fearfully looking out the window as the world outside seems to burn to the ground. If ever there’s a visual metaphor for these current times, that would be the one, faced as we are with the leaders of the two “big powers” alternating their behaviour between that of petulant toddlers and baboons driving clown cars, all the time racking up the body count. It’s beyond fucking ridiculous innit? And that’s before we even get to that nasty little Zionist toad in Israel.
So here we are with an album of fist pumping, finger pointing shout along punk anthems; politically charged, yet viewed through the lens of the lumpen proletariat on the ground experiencing and bearing witness to the direct and indirect of events being played out on the global stage. And face it, what we need is a record that acknowledges such struggles as these in a relatable way. A way that brings forth a sense of positivity in the face of adversity (food poverty, energy poverty, addiction, the rise of the populist right wing seemingly quietly ushering in the most dangerous elements of the far right to wider society, the environment is fucked, war, war, genocide and more war). These things all stack and stack and feed off each other in this world of moral bankruptcy. Obviously, it’s always been that way to one extent or the other, but at the moment it really feels like some fucker has cranked up the pressure cooker.
Some bands with two lead vocal elements eventually come under fire for being formulaic; for example in this case alternating a Rev song with and Andy song. I have no beef with this at all and some bands like the Drowns and Alkaline Trio for example, pull it off with aplomb. I have, however, found myself wondering if Andy and Rev took an approach to vocal presentation from the Lawrence Arms perspective? Brendan Kelly and Chris MacCaughan both also have distinct vocal styles, and from album to album they’ve changed up the vocal delivery formula somewhat, from alternating lead vocal from verse to verse, to giving it the call and response treatment from line to line, and even both of them singing at the same time. Anyway, bit of an aside for you there to give you unwanted and unwarranted insight into the type of things that circulate unprovoked through mind.
Anyways… What more can I say? Thank fuck for The Drowns. Thank crivvens for my hard working pals Rev, Andy and Jake (see you on the road!). Keep doing what you are doing; the world needs a little something to take the edge off, and I’m happy to be listening to this in the meantime. It’s a mystery to me that these lads are still consistently writing music of such quality, with lyrics that still cut to the heart of things. It means something, and it matters. If that’s not punk rock, then fucked if I know what is, mate. Check it out for yourself below…
Tony of Nurgle rating 9/10
You can grab this on CD or a whole raft of vinyl colourways from the Pirates Press Records webstore or physical stores that stock good good things.
