Nothing else sounds like Drag Talk. On debut album Drink The Ocean (MNRK Heavy), the L.A. band finds gauzy beauty in chaos, pairing exquisite shoegaze guitars and Britpop melodicism with Jutty Taylor's genre-fluid vocals.
The band formed in 2021 from guitarist Ross O'Carroll's pandemic home demos, uniting longtime friends: O'Carroll, Taylor, and drummer Hayden Scott (former Ghost members), guitarist Matt Ripp Bennett, and third guitarist Neil Popkin. After 2022's "Egyptian Flesh," the Dogs EP, and 2024's Rosy Crown, they built a cult following through sold-out shows and signed with MNRK.
Recorded with longtime producer Tom Syrowski at his L.A. home and Henson Studios, Drink The Ocean channels Swervedriver, The Verve, and Jesus and Mary Chain, flirting with dream pop and psych rock. Taylor's themes of injustice, femininity, and esoteric spirituality color the record, with the title open to interpretation, defiance, excess, or the struggle of creation itself.
Lead single "Pony Up" sets a narcotic, escapist tone. "Kingdoms" is visceral and metaphor-rich. "Would It Kill You" channels Nirvana's simplicity and Pumpkins' dynamics. Guests include Brendan O'Brien (Hammond organ) and Ghost's Olivia Morreale (backing vocals).
Drag Talk is a rare creative brotherhood for fans who want to nudge the familiar forward.
