The Drums recently followed their skull-rattling “Magic Mountain” single with the glistening but bummed-out “I Can’t Pretend.” Now, they’ve shared a lyric video for the track, which consists of a goldfish swimming around in a tiny tank in a dark room as song lyrics splash across the screen. Here’s what the Drums’ Jonny Pierce had to say about “I Can’t Pretend”:
“The moment we take our first breath, we become slaves to this life and to it’s pointlessness — and there really is no out. If that seems heavy-handed, well that’s because our shared reality is… a heavy one. I’ve never had much of a drive to build an empire or much less a retirement fund, simply because it’s a lot of shuffling about for nothing… in the end it’s all for nothing. Some days this hopelessness chains me to my bed. But, there are other days where I find myself almost blissful because if there is no point, then there are no rules and you can be whatever and whoever you want to be. It’s maybe the only true hope one can cling to (if you’re serious) and you can only find it deep in the folds of Utter Hopelessness. That, my friends, is what ‘I Can’t Pretend’ is about. No rules — get to it. Love who you want! Do what you want!”
Watch the lyric video above and look out for the Drums’ upcoming LP, Encyclopedia, due out September 23 via Minor Records.
