The Men – Drift

Brooklyn punkers drift into prominence

Ahh, yes. Exactly what we need at this time in our history — The Men. All jokes aside, despite what the simplistic name might suggest, this Brooklyn punk noise band represents the current rumblings about the Brooklyn art scene effectively by putting forth some intriguing vibrations on their new album Drift.

What first grabs the attention is the first song “Maybe I’m Crazy,” as lead singer Mark Perro’s freshly-woken-up Prince singing style creates a stark contrast to the jangly textured synth beat and rock stomp feel. It gives the listener an interesting first taste of what will clearly be a more eccentric sound.

Just when one thinks they have the sound of The Men pinned down, though, these men surprise again with the soft, pondering “When I Held You In My Arms.” The song gets downright sensitive; longing for a relationship that made everything so right. With “Maybe I’m Crazy” still on the mind, The Men go downright Smiths on us with “Rose On Top Of The World.” Love songs are a strength of The Men, clearly, in that kind of lovesick college rock kind of way.

Just like the drift of the tide, though, one cannot rely on predictions on what will come next. Because “Killed Someone” sounds exactly like it advertises. The softness and happiness of “So High” is immediately launched into a classic punk drive that almost sounds like the paranoia of the aforementioned high, just to diffuse again into the sobering wild west sounding “Sleep.” If you’re sensing a narrative here, that’s most likely intentional. Any doubts about this are silenced in the space provided by “Final Prayer” that transitions into the redemptive hope of “Come To Me.”

Overall, Drift is an evocative album that doesn’t seek to deliver a very simple experience. Much like life though, it’s an experience that rewards a closer listening to the details to find the meaning behind why these emotions are placed in the order they are. Perro’s lyrics aren’t the most intelligible, so the listener is left a lot of the time with simply empathy for the sound to guide them through this album — an interesting ride, for sure. One definitely not for the average listener, but also one that is a welcome surprise.