Drowners – ‘Drowners’

A band digging back further than the ’90s revival, right back into the heart of the jangly ’80s

New York’s Drowners take their name from one of Suede’s singles, but their self-titled debut album suggests a band digging back further than the ’90s Britpop revival, right back into the heart of the jangly ’80s. Guitarist Jack Ridley evidently worships at the altar of Johnny Marr, while songs such as ‘Unzip Your Harrington’ wear their second-hand Englishness with pride. ‘Ways To Phrase A Rejection’ proves the four-piece do a good enough job of recreating the kitchen-sink narratives of the era, but where they really excel is when they slip back into the 21st century: see ‘Bar Chat’, which fizzes along with pure garage-rock fury, frontman Matt Hitt adopting a Casablancas snarl and uncovering Drowners’ real potential as he goes.

Rhian Daly

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