You’ve got to feel for the Loveless brothers, AKA Drenge. The Derbyshire duo’s massive post-grunge racket started to break out in 2013, only to be usurped by duo Royal Blood’s massive post-grunge racket not long after. The latter became an almost-instant hit; the former are more of a slow burn, touring relentlessly and writing this second album. But Undertow is the sound of a band who’ve found their murky flow. They’ve now added a bassist, and Ross Orton, who co-produced Arctic Monkeys’ AM, has added subtle inky depths to their menacing sludge: they come off like a shoegazey Foo Fighters in places (Running Wild); a more robust Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster in others (We Can Do What We Want). The cinematic instrumentals, meanwhile – which make it sound like they’ve been cruising around Joshua Tree on Harleys with Josh Homme – were clearly made with vast stages in mind. Drenge’s boyish, deadpan disillusionment is still there – see Favourite Son, a punky snarl of a single – but it’s more refined and more focused. Finally, an album that will pull you under.
