Track Review: ‘Civics Honors II’ by DROOL

DROOL is a post-punk outfit out of Chicago who have just released their new album DROOL II, featuring the song “Civics Honors II.”

While by no means a show-stopper, “Civics Honors II” does have a twisted swagger to it which is reminiscent of post punk groups like Joy Division, filtered through the rhythmic weirdness of new wave acts like the Talking Heads. There are also different hints of the ’00s garage rock revival scene in the groups sound, particularly groups  like Interpol and the Strokes.

The singer’s vocal delivery owes a lot to Interpol frontman Paul Banks. along with The guitars being are upfront in the mix of the song. It is and it’s extremely refreshing to hear the organic nature of the instruments playing off each other rather than the typical wall of sound dynamic that recent pop/rock acts like Fall Out Boy and Imagine Dragons are known for. go for. 

While this song is certainly fun and inventive, it doesn’t break any new ground when compared to the group’s influences. DROOL has major potential to become a major player if they get a better production team behind them.

At this point, it seems like they haven’t settled into a sound that suits them just yet. The art rock theme is a genre this group is comfortable with, but if they want to break out, they may need to add more than staccato guitar riffs and monotone vocals. With a bit more polish, DROOL may be a worthy successor to their art rock and post punk heroes. But for now, the group is reaching for different sounds so they can make the best music they can.

The song is enjoyable on the surface with tons of attitude, but here’s to hoping that the band expands their sound upon further releases.