Welshman Matthew Hitt initially moved to New York to pursue a modelling career in 2011, but instead found himself hanging out in Brooklyn pubs and writing songs. He met local lads Jack Ridley III, Erik Lee Snyder and Daniel Jacobs who were rehearsing nearby, and they bonded over a mutual love of 1980s post-punk bands. His dreamy lyrics and jangly Brit pop influences sat naturally with their grubby, cool sound and they named themselves Drowners after Suede's first single. Chocked full of punchy, three-minute indie pop nuggets, their self-titled debut album drew comparisons with The Smiths, The Strokes and Echo And The Bunnymen, and they set off on tour to Europe as opening act for Cage The Elephant. More support slots with The Vaccines, Arctic Monkeys and Foals further sharpened the band's sound and they returned with a second album in 2016 called On Desire and lead single Cruel Ways. Grander and glossier in production, it still ticked all the indie band boxes but also showed a shift in mentality from youthful garage rock to more polished, thoughtful guitar pop.
