Undertow by Drenge

Castleton brothers, Eoin and Rory Loveless are part of the big two-piece revolution. They've been
making heavy and dirty grunge rock since 2011 and they've already got one album behind them, a self-titled debut which they released in 2013. Off the back of this they were nominated, and won, NME's award for Best New Band in 2014 and now, a year later, they are ready to release their second album, Undertow.

Undertow gets under your skin and into your brain and makes you feel alive. It’s got infectiously grizzly guitars and hard hitting fills scattered throughout its 11 songs and it isn't something you’ll forget. Where their debut saw them frantic and frenzied, Undertow sees them refined but just as urgent and it is that nurture that will catapult them to new highs in the coming year. We Can Do What We Want, lead single from the album, will have you jumping around to its feral rhythm and songs like Favourite Son will get your heart racing and have you spitting “I don’t wanna be fucked, I just wanna be his, I wanna be loved by your favourite son” with as much aggression as Eoin does. In contrast, The Woods and Standing In The Cold calm you down and feel delightfully smooth in their lingering nature.

Drenge are clever and unique boys. Whilst they are overshadowed by the big duos in the game such as Royal Blood, the Loveless brothers infuse fresh melodies and engaging lyrics with a sound that’s reminiscent of the likes of Joy Divison, Kaiser Chiefs and Nirvana.  It’s being enable to embody such vast elements of musical history and make them their own that give Undertow its edge. They've also added a bassist on this album which has perhaps helped them along a bit too. Duo or trio, it doesn't matter: Undertow is pounding, gnarly, gutsy and it’s what is going to make you listen to Drenge on repeat.

7.5/10

Listen to: Favourite Son, We Can Do What We Want