‘Hermits On Holiday’ by DRINKS (Album)

DRINKS is Tim Presley and Cate Le Bon – a jam session between two kindred spirits. Photo: Cara Robbins

Cate Le Bon and Tim Presley of White Fence have joined forces to record an album imbued with improvisational spirit

aving toured with Tim Presley as the guitarist in his band White Fence, Welsh folky Cate Le Bon formed a bond with her fellow musician which led to the formation of DRINKS. Described by the pair as “a solo project, not a collaboration. It has one mouth, one set of lungs, one mind and four legs”, the resulting album Hermits On Holiday sounds like a jam session between two kindred spirits.

There are plenty of straight up psych-pop songs on the record, in particular the opening track Laying Down Rock and its title track, complete with spidery guitar and off-kilter percussion. The frenetic rhythms and warped vocal of Cannon Mouth is a trippy joyride and Focus On The Street is untethered post-punk in the vein of The Fall.

So far so straightforward. Then comes the lengthy duo of Spilt The Beans and Tim, Do I Like That Dog which transform Hermits On Holiday into something altogether more instinctive and improvisational. On the former Le Bon repeats the line “windows in my house” with her best Nico nonchalance, as a muted cacophony struggles to escape beneath her. Things get even further out there with Tim, Do I Like That Dog. Le Bon asks the song’s titular question and is answered by an untethered instrumental wig out.

There is clearly great chemistry between the pair and by pooling together their considerable talents they have created a spur of the moment treasure trove of an album.

Verdict: Improvised fun, with plenty of melody

Duncan Haskell

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