Drenge

Drenge are a band with fans in high places. Their selftitled debut was praised across the board and they received memorable (if unsolicited) co-signs from Tom Watson MP and Kanye West. Drenge describe upcoming record ‘Strange Creatures’ as their ‘nocturnal record’ but the Loveless brothers have a sunny disposition. They make an irreverent pair who aren’t afraid to finish each other’s sentences, often with a cheeky metaphor. So Young spoke with frontman Eoin and drummer Rory to discuss Pixar, free shoes and embracing the chorus.

Q: Where does the ‘Autonomy’ EP fit in with the history of Drenge as a band? Would you say it’s been a natural progression from ‘Undertow’ to ‘Strange Creatures’?

A: We recorded a bunch of songs and we had maybe a bit too much for an album. The four songs on there sounded a bit closer to our older stuff and we felt Autonomy fit quite nicely between the new record and our older stuff. You know when you go and see Incredibles 2 there’s the little cartoon before; that’s the EP! It’s a little taster that allows you to familiarise yourself with the cannon. It allows the audience to kinda settle down.

Q: Is it a real fear for you guys that people have busy lives and they might have forgotten Drenge exist over the last couple of years?

A: It’s a reality for us. Do you remember the first time you came home from uni and your dog just didn’t give shit? You thought he loved you but he was actually completely nonplussed about it. We think it’s a bit like that.

Q: Do you think that you’ve become quieter or more conventional as you’ve began to mature as a band?

A: The songwriting has matured and we’ve started listening to different things. Some of our early stuff didn’t really have much of a conventional structure to it.

There weren’t many choruses on that first record! I’m not sure we’ve become quieter since then but we’ve become more interested in using different dynamics. It’s quite odd but when we started we didn’t have complex ideas about what Drenge’s musical output would be. You just want to get all your emotions out. Making these records over the years has been a bit like learning in public and after ten years you do start contradicting the things you said at the beginning. It would be simpler to keep being the band we started out being but to be honest it doesn’t really interest either of us.

Q: You’ve said the new album is more complex and more interesting to you both. How else would you describe the sound of the new album?

A: We’ve used more instruments including keyboards and synths. We’ve used different time signatures. ‘Strange Creatures’ is kind of like a psychological mystery as opposed to the straight-up slash and stab, 70s gore film that is the first record. Thematically, it’s more like the second record [Undertow].

Q: As young guys who make a living out of music are you optimistic about the future of music?

A: I think because we’ve been inspired by lots of DIY bands from the 80s and we grew up with an interest in being anticonsumerist and counter-cultural, seeing lots of bands, like ourselves, sponsored by shoe brands is a bit…

Q: Is that something you wouldn’t do?

A: Sometimes you fight it and sometimes it wins! I can’t say that we haven’t played a stage that’s been advertised by a shoe brand or even been given some free shoes. It’s a very strange dichotomy the whole thing but we recognise that it’s the reality of being in music isn’t it?

Words by Alex Mistlin | Illustration by Anna Sarvira