The sophomore studio long-player from the N.Y.C.-based indie rockers,
On Desire, unlike the band's peppy,
Strokes-ian debut, dims the lights and offers up a brooding profile shot of love gone astray. Statuesque frontman Matt Hitt hasn't lost his affinity for penning
Morrissey-inspired tales of cynicism and woe, but there is an extra weight to
On Desire that suggests a recent bout with heartbreak may have left some permanent damage. Feisty opener "Troublemaker" presents one of the LP's myriad femme fatales, and the propulsive backbeat and reverb-laden washes of distorted guitar add admirable menace and bite. This predilection toward the dark side of the indie pop spectrum was hinted at on the
Drowners' eponymous debut, but it downright permeates
On Desire, more or less dropping the sardonic/affable
Vaccines template in favor of a sonic patina that hews a little closer to the late-night emissions of
Last Shadow Puppets and
Echo & the Bunnymen. In fact, the latter outfit casts a huge shadow on tracks like "Human Remains" and "Trust the Tension," with Hitt and guitarist Jack Ridley ditching
the Moz and
Johnny Marr posturing for the leather-clad black magic of
Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant. Elsewhere, the appropriately astral "Dreams Don't Count" pairs sad-sack heartbreak with billowy,
David Lynch-ian retro-pop, and the punchy "Another Go" should please listeners for whom the late-'90s garage rock revival never closed its doors. With
On Desire, the
Drowners sound more confident and more in tune with each other as a band, but they still remain captives of their influences. They're evolving, but at a pace that may never yield any new fruit. [
On Desire was also released on LP.] ~ James Christopher Monger