A few weeks ago, Derbyshire band Drenge deftly side-stepped the infamous and all too real "difficult second album syndrome" when they released their best recorded moment to date, Undertow. Following in hot on the heels of their much lauded self-titled debut (which came out a year and a half ago), Eoin and Rory Loveless' decision to strike while the iron was hot has paid off in spades.
"I feel useless if I haven't got anything to do," explains Drenge singer/guitarist Eoin regarding the quick turnaround. "We toured for about two years, then spent four months in the studio and then three months after that the album came out. There were points when we didn't know how it was going to fit together as a listening experience and there were times when all the songs sounded a bit too sporadic, but nothing contentious occurred during the sessions. There were no big dramas or instances of 'difficult second album syndrome.' We just kind've got down to it and worked it out.
"Those four months we were writing Undertow me and Rory finally moved out of our parents house and into Sheffield, which was a big change for us," he adds. "We started a new chapter I guess and writing and recording was a good outlet for that as well."
Another big change in the Loveless camp is they're grown in size since we last talked to them and have expanded their ranks to become a three-piece with the arrival of bassist Rob Graham. A long-time friend of the brothers, his presence has given Drenge more power when performing live.
"Becoming a three-piece hasn't really messed with the dynamic of the band too much," considers the singer. "Rob's been around our band so much in the past and on tour with us and stuff, that it feels like a natural thing having him with us. I think we needed him as the new songs needed something else to boost them up when we were playing them live. I don't think we would've been able to get away with performing the stuff on a record as a duo."
Speaking of playing live, the newly minted trio perform at this year's Longitude and for Eoin it's a chance to banish the spectre of Drenge's pervious performance at the festival.
"I can't wait to play in Dublin," he enthuses. "Last time we played Longitude it was a bit of nightmare. I managed to break two guitars during one song. It was quite a spectacle! I'm hoping it'll go smoother this time. We're sticking around on the Sunday as well. I want to catch Wild Beasts and James Blake and hopefully I'll see a bit of the Chemical Brothers too. It should be a great day."
Around this time last year, the Drenge boys indulged in a little cross-dressing by wearing dresses for their performance at the Reading festival. Do the band have anything special planned for their turn at Longitude, we ask? Perhaps a nice off the shoulder number?
"Sadly not," laughs Eoin. "We don't have any outfits planned as we've got a horrendous couple of weeks of travelling coming up. I'm going to Turkey for a wedding, then the day after we go to Japan and Korea and then back to Japan. I'm not sure I'll have enough room in my suitcase for a dress or an interesting onesie. We'll see though..."