Over the past few years, The Drums has essentially become the solo project of Jonny Pierce, and he’s about to get more personal than ever: Jonny, the indie pop musician’s sixth studio album, is set to arrive October 13th via ANTI-. Along with the news comes the record’s latest single “Better.”
Jonny sees Pierce really dig into his past, comprised of songs that confront his “cult-like” religious upbringing and how it still affects him through adulthood. But it’s not all in contempt — in hindsight, he’s been able to make something like peace with his traumatic childhood, and Jonny also promises a sense of optimism and gratitude.
“When I finished Jonny, I listened to it, and I heard my soul reflected back at me,” Pierce explains in a press release. “It is devastating and triumphant, it is lost and found, it is confused and certain, it is wise and foolish. It is male and female, it is hard and gentle. To encapsulate ones’ whole self in an album, to honor each and every part of you — even the parts that feel at odds with each other, is to make something deeply human, and because my religion is humanism, the album becomes a sacred place for me to worship. Each feeling a different pew, each song a hymn to the human heart.”
“Better” is bittersweet, juxtaposing the genuine love Pierce has for someone he once depended on — perhaps too much — with the newfound confidence of knowing he’s finally comfortable being on his own. “My darlin’, my lover/ How I love you, how I miss you/ But my solitude loves me better than you do,” he sings over an uptempo drum machine and jangly guitars.
Pre-orders for Jonny are ongoing. Listen to “Better” below, and then keep scrolling to see the album artwork and tracklist.
The Drums’ North American tour kicks off tonight in San Diego, and you can grab tickets over at StubHub. The band’s last album was 2019’s Brutalism.
Jonny Artwork:
Jonny Tracklist:
01. I Want It All
02. Isolette
03. I’m Still Scared
04. Better
05. Harms
06. Little Jonny
07. Plastic Envelope
08. Protect Him Always
09. Be Gentle
10. Dying
11. Green Grass
12. Obvious
13. The Flowers
14. Teach My Body
15. Pool God
16. I Used to Want to Die
