by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Back in 2019, Philadelphia’s DRILL caught us all off guard on their terrifically named debut EP, This Is Not A Drill, a supremely lo-fi mix of garage pop hooks, arty hardcore, and jittery no wave. There’s a fire in the songs thats met with a joyous abandon. Fast forward five years and the band return with Permanent, their first and unfortunately last full length, but they’re not going quietly into the good night. Animated and agitated, the trio - Sonam Parikh (vocals, keys), Gavin Perez-Canto (drums), and new addition Nina Ryser (bass, vocals), continue to craft songs with a charming sort of irreverence, creating post-punk at its most minimal but inherently vibrant. Due out on March 8th via Abandon Everything Records, DRILL channel the acerbic energy of bands like Bratmobile, The Slits, and Kleenex, trading in rudimentary skronk with inescapable pulsating hooks to match.
Having shared lead single “Within Reason,” the trio are back with another preview in the form of “Pipsqueak,” a track that revolves around the NYC blackouts back in 2004 and the ominous nature of the dark. DRILL aren’t aiming for terror though, they’re brightening their surroundings, playing games in the shadows, The song’s sing-a-long lyrics are relatively abstract but triumphant and bouncy, the repetition swirling on uneven ground. There’s an innocence to it all, captured in Parikh and Ryser’s chanted vocals and the rubbery bass, a perfect companion as the song bends and ricochets. The video, directed by Buzz Lombardi, reinterprets and rearranges the dance number from the French film Beau Travail… because why not. Anything is possible when the power fizzles out.