Drowners were an American-Welsh indie rock band formed in New York City in 2011 by Matthew Hitt (lead vocals, guitar), Jack Ridley III (lead guitar), Erik Lee Snyder (bass) and Daniel Jacobs (drums).[1] Their first release was the EP Between Us Girls which appeared in early 2013. In January 2014 their debut album Drowners was released worldwide preceded by the single "Luv, Hold Me Down".[2][3][4] In 2016, the band released their second album On Desire.[5] The band has toured both North America and Europe.
Drowners | |
|---|---|
 Drowners performing at Coachella in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Alternative rock, indie rock, post-punk revival |
| Years active | 2011–2016, 2019 |
| Labels | Frenchkiss Records |
| Members | Matthew Hitt Jack Ridley Erik Lee Snyder Daniel Jacobs |
| Past members |
|
| Website | www |
History
editThe band was formed when Welsh-born Matthew Hitt moved to New York City in 2011 to pursue a career in modelling. With a degree in English Literature, he found time to "write and jam on [his] guitar every day".[1] He recruited three musicians and began rehearsing and recording the songs.[6] Guitarist Jack Ridley is originally from the North West of the US while bass player Erik Snyder grew up outside Philadelphia.[7] On February 4, 2013, Drowners released their first EP Between Us Girls on the English label Birthday Records. The EP contains three short songs, including "Long Hair", oft cited as the lead track.[1]
The band signed with a Frenchkiss Records, and began to record their first studio album in May 2013. The album was produced by Gus Oberg and Johnny T, while recording took place over a three-week period.[8] It received mixed reviews.[9]
The band headed to Europe for the first time in February 2014 in support of their album, to perform a small number of London shows (including an in-store performance at Rough Trade East), and supported Cage The Elephant on their European tour and SKATERS on their UK tour.[10] The band enlisted several drummers, including Joe Brodie,[7] before settling on Daniel Jacobs.[11]
The band opened shows for Arctic Monkeys, The Vaccines and Foals while undertaking their first headlining tour of North America and Europe in February/March 2014.[12] They later performed at the Coachella festival and supported Temples.[8] After two months of recording, the band had finalised their second album by Christmas 2015.[13]
In June 2016, the band released the album On Desire to mixed reviews.[14] It was produced by Claudius Mitterndorfer and preceded by the single "Cruel Ways".[15]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Drowners |
|
| On Desire |
|
EP
edit- Between Us Girls (February 4, 2013, Birthday Records)
References
edit- ^ a b c "Clash Interview" Joe Zadeh, 'OTW #487: Drowners Revamped Brit Pop Garage', Clash Magazine, March 20, 2013.
- ^ Campion, Freddie. "Band of the Week". vogue.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
- ^ darwin, liza. "band crush: drowners". nylonmag.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
- ^ "Drowners Tear Up the Town in 'Luv, Hold Me Down' - Premiere". Rolling Stone. 8 November 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
- ^ Goodman, Jessica (June 24, 2016). "Drowners - On Desire". DIY. Retrieved 2016-07-02.
- ^ Lester, Paul (13 December 2012). "New Band of the Day". theguardian.com. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
- ^ a b Gill, LaToya (April 15, 2014). "Conversations with… Drowners (Part 1)". Rooms Magazine. Archived from the original on June 5, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ a b Tout, Alicia (May 29, 2014). "Gimme Your Answers: An Interview w/ Drowners". A Music Blog, Yea?.
- ^ Drowners by Drowners, retrieved 2020-08-05
- ^ "Gig Review" Archived 2014-04-07 at the Wayback Machine Marco Zande, 'Gig Review: SKATERS + Drowners at Dingwalls', Invasion Mag, March 16, 2014.
- ^ "An Interview With The Post-Punk Band, DROWNERS On Their Latest Album, "On Desire" On More! | All Access Music". music.allaccess.com. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-02.
- ^ "2014 tour" SongKick 2014 tour listings
- ^ Muir, Ava (19 May 2016). "Our interview with Drowners". Northern Transmissions. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
- ^ On Desire by Drowners, retrieved 2016-07-02
- ^ "Premiere: Here's Drowners New Album 'On Desire' | NOISEY". Noisey. June 20, 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-02.