Ten years together is a milestone for a band. How do you keep things fresh, not get tired of yourself? You whittle things down to a nub, reinvent yourself, change, and change again. A fucking chameleon. Take Brooklyn mainstay The Men, for instance, who are celebrating their decade together with the release of their seventh full-length record, Drift, out March 3 on home label Sacred Bones Records; listening to their seminal debut Immaculada, and the new LP’s first single, you’re almost pressed to ask, “is this the same band?” In a lot of ways, no. But in a lot of ways, it makes the most sense in the world. The track, “Maybe I’m Crazy” is a throbbing synth-infused trip down a rabbit-hole of so many sleepless nights you can’t look yourself in the mirror. Unrelenting kick drum courses its way through your veins and beats your heart against the inside of your ribcage and synth monotone lays on as thick as the bags under your eyes. It’s a different sound, yes, but the tension, the sentiment, the fervor, are the same. Hushed, yet incensed vocals creep up the back of your neck and all your hairs stand on edge, the inclusion of saxophone’s screechy voice like the maddening flickering of a failing light bulb. It’s a raw dance track, painted with rocknroll experience. Innovation not for the sake of innovation, not for the sake of staying afloat, but for cathartic maturation. Growth.
