Anyone closely attuned to the inner reverberations of The Drums will have witnessed a shaky few years for the New York-based band. After major US TV appearances following 2011’s Portamento, rumours abounded of ongoing tensions, scrapped solo projects and the band’s imminent breakup. But fans can take solace in “I Can’t Pretend,” a mournful highlight from September-bound LP Encyclopaedia that starts like MGMT cruising through a wind tunnel before shooting into starlit histrionics reminiscent of Pixies classic “Where Is My Mind?” Lyrically, it’s predictably double-edged – this from a band whose romantic distance has always sounded less lackadaisical than coolly passive-aggressive – with Jonathan Pierce’s sun-lounger sighs bleeding raw indignation.
