The Drink – Capital (Melodic)

Following last year’s ice tinged debut Company, The Drink have returned with a new offering in the shape of Capital, another siren-like offering with no shortage of noodling clean-guitar riffs and plenty of need for a warm winter coat.

Pressing play on an album which follows a success is always tinged with as much hesitancy as excitement. However, when the familiar siren-like vocal from lead singer Dearbhla Minogue starts up on ‘Like a River’ it shows that The Drink have picked up from where they left off.

While Capital may not be breaking its dark waves upon new shores, it is immediately obvious that The Drink have delved deeper into the sound found on Company. For instance, ‘I’ll Never Make You Cry’ includes a choir of vocals at its conclusion – a much more developed and richer morbidity in the sound the band describe as ‘Odd Dark Folk Pop’.

The images conjured by The Drink are still the same; there are massive winter coats, dark winter seas, graveyards and mournful reflections on personal relationships.

All of the finest songs on the album work on these vibes. ‘No Memory’ is ghoulish in its portrayal of “knocking on the door in the dead of night” and ‘You Won’t Come Back At All’ washes over in waves in its constantly revving up of a begging chorus: “You’ve got to come back now, or you won’t come back at all.”
Despite The Drink’s outlook being bleak, they do it with a genuine joy that’s not unlike Veronica Falls. ‘Like a River’ and ‘Potter’s Grave’ have a sort of head jangling joy that lollops around. Throughout the album there’s a half-smile worn by lead singer Dearbhla. And it’s this alongside the frosty charm of clean guitar riffs that make Capital another winter warmer for the frosty season.

The Drink have their own distinctive sound and pictures to paint. Capital is very much a continuation of their debut, rather than a deviation, and amongst the sound of stormy seas they are on course and developing a strong sound.