Despite the tumultuous departure of two of their former bandmates, frontman Jonny Pierce and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Graham decided to give The Drums another go three years after their last album was released.

The childhood friends proved they made the right choice when they took the stage at New York City's Rough Trade NYC on Sunday afternoon and performed a faultless set.

The duo, accompanied by three other musicians, performed tunes from their new album, Encyclopedia, as well as popular old ones like "Money" and "How It Ended."

A few days prior to the performance, Pierce dished to Enstars.com about the new album, their old group members - Adam Kessler and Connor Hanwick - and the duo's next chapter.

Firstly, congratulations on the new album. How would you define Encyclopedia?

Encyclopedia is the first time Jacob and I were left alone to make something special since 2008, when he and I created the Summertime! EP. We realized that it was a chance to do something big and something adventurous and heartfelt. This album is full of new information and I look at some of these songs as almost instructional. Encyclopedia seemed to fit as album title, as this album really reflects all the different volumes of our lifetime as a band - and there are many.

You've experimented with a bit of a different sound on this album. What prompted the change?

I think it was just getting everyone else out of the room, ya know? Sometimes having too many people around can squander something that is delicate, but can ultimately be very powerful. Our band members left. It was back to just Jacob and I, and so we were able to let certain songs be quiet and sweet and others be triumphant. These peaks would not be so high and the valleys so low - musically and lyrically - if we had involved other people. Less is much, much, more!

What's the most personal song on the album?

All these songs are personal for me. I decided that for Encyclopedia I was going to really dive deep into myself and vomit up everything that I wanted to say. Things [have] been building up for years and years and finally, I was able to put them down to paper. I believe in a Scientific World View based on scientific fact - another play on Encyclopedia - and this song for me is about finally spitting in the face of anyone or anything that tells you to look to anything else or be anything else than exactly who you are. [It's] self-empowering!

Was it nerve-racking at all to come back together and make new music three years after your last release and with the departure of a band member?

There were some doubts here and there, but after taking a year away from The Drums to focus on other projects, we finally were able to come back together and we had this sparkle at the same time and we knew we could do, not just another album, but we could open the floodgates to our creativity and run like wild deer! We also had important things to say about life, afterlife, death, love, sex, gender, and God; No more breezing through.

How's the dynamic with just two people in the group now?

I was just telling Jacob while we were sitting in an airport yesterday that I have never had such a nice time on tour. This dynamic works and had we not had to fiddle around with those backstabbing f--ks, we probably would have made even better records before this! What a waste of time, love, and energy! And for what? I'll never know. The fact that I still sometimes miss them means I am very unhealthy.

You've used the word "depressing" to describe the recording conditions of this album. Do you feel you're most creative in that state of mind?

Well, the best songs are always written out of a place of struggle. Happiness is so fleeting. It exists, but it's cruel in its nature. It abandons you. Sadness is something to cuddle with and feel warm about. It certainly brings along the best art!

Finally, what can fans expect from The Drums in this new chapter?

A new element of rock-solid reality. Less dreaming, more meaning.

Encyclopedia hits stores on Sept. 23 and can also be purchased on iTunes.

Tags: The Drums