To His Own Drums

When Hedi Slimane—the former Dior Homme designer whose aesthetic transformed menswear at the dawn of this century, if not eternally—isn't shooting Lady Gaga album covers or seductive black-and-white editorials for major glossies, he can be found focusing his discerning eye on young musical talent. In the past few years he's shot bands like These New Puritans, Phoenix and Babyshambles, which makes us take his latest subject, The Drums, very seriously.

Listing bands like the Shangri-Las, the Tough Alliance and Joy Division as influences, the Brooklyn foursome inhabit all of the characteristics of an old-fashioned boy band. Their breakout summer single, Let's Go Surfing, seems to come straight from the schoolyard, with lyrics like "down down baby, down by the roller coaster, sweet sweet baby, I'll never let you go." With saccharine vocals, whistling background jingles and New Order-style strums, there's something crack-addictive about The Drums.

"Me and the Moon" — The Drums

• Posted Dec 09, 2009
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