Album Review: Gold Class - Drum

Gold Class seemed to hit the ground running when they released their debut album It's You in 2015 and backed it up with urgent and emotional shows centred around the controlled drama and tension of singer Adam Curley. On their new album Drum, they've cemented and built on their already impressive post-punk sound.

Control is the order of the day on Drum. The songs feel more strongly anchored, and though the sonic tension is still tightly wound, they approach it with greater poise and an assured management of space and dynamics in the songs. Gareth Liddiard (The Drones) produced the album and he's replaced some of the instrumental coldness of their debut with a warm and organic production that sounds more like spring than winter.

The early singles Twist In The Dark and Rose Blind set the standard for bristling, brooding angular guitar rock but dig a little deeper and there are some other album tracks that really excel. Trouble Fun rolls along on restrained melodies and gently crashing guitars that sparkle rather than slash. Get Yours highlights the grinding propulsion of bassist Jon Shub - reminiscent of Big Black, Gordons and My Disco, while soaring across it all is Curley's voice, that stentorian howl of angst and poetic declarations as he grapples with the issues of finding one's place in the world.

A phrase from Rose Blind sums up the sound of Gold Class as Curley sings about "barricades and ecstasy". Drum is darkly ecstatic music that sounds both defiant and spirited.