"Trouble Fun," the name of a song on
Drum, sums up the duality of
Gold Class' heavier yet more nuanced second album. Working with
the Drones'
Gareth Liddiard, the band opts for a polished post-punk sound that brings out more of their heft as they build on the driving rockers and chiming ballads of
It's You and chronicle doomed -- or at least complicated -- relationships. Not surprisingly, much of
Drum was written after vocalist Adam Curley suffered a breakup, and his volatile emotions are channeled into a powerful physicality on songs like "Twist in the Dark," where jostling riffs and rhythms echo
Joy Division,
the Cult, and
Gold Class' Felte labelmates
Ritual Howls. "We Were Never Too Much" delivers a combustive cocktail of regret and nostalgia, while the careening "Get Yours" adds some sensuality to the band's raw sound. A large part of
Drum's growth comes from Curley's increasingly sophisticated vocals, which take the lead on moments of gloomy beauty such as "Thinking of Strangers" and the aforementioned "Trouble Fun." It all makes for a more rounded -- but still formidable -- portrait of
Gold Class' music. [
Drum was also released on LP.] ~ Heather Phares