The Drums have officially returned with ‘I Want It All,’ a brand new single arriving today via ANTI-. Soul-searching ruminations, confrontations of childhood trauma and epiphanies of self-acceptance are entangled within the song, which for Jonny Pierce – the founding auteur behind The Drums – serves as a piece of art that’s as exposed as it is triumphant. Imbued with a sense of freshly-absorbed introspection, ‘I Want It All’ marks the debut offering from The Drums’ forthcoming album and first studio project since 2019’s Brutalism.
“The song emerged from the longing and the pain that stemmed from a loveless childhood,” says Pierce about “I Want It All.” “It is only in the past few years that I have really begun to understand what happened to me as a boy, which has helped me start to build my own bridge towards real love. The song is a declaration – that I will take what I was never given. I want the full experience of being human, which includes love and connection. I want it all.”
Soaring to alt-pop prestige nearly fifteen years ago with a renowned self-titled debut, The Drums continue to thrive, influence and reinvent with every project. Pierce initially conceived of the band back in 2008 and what resulted was worldwide acclaim and a string of five studio albums that deftly walk the line of aching melancholy and irresistible pop sensibilities, presented through a kaleidoscope of pastel guitars, reverb, modular synthesizers and drum machines. It’s a sound that’s wholly unique, and unmistakably The Drums.
The Drums’ music remains timeless, as evidenced by the recent explosion of their song ‘Money,’ which first appeared on their breakout sophomore album Portamento. Transforming into a viral sensation earlier this year – over a decade since it was first released – the song has since bloomed with a second life, eclipsing over 230 million streams on Spotify alone, achieving RIAA Gold-certification, and reaching #1 on the Alternative Global Shazam chart and the #2 TikTok Global Hashtag.