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Jul 02, 2020 Web Exclusive By Dom Gourlay

Hull, England five-piece bdrmm might be the most consonant-heavy musical ensemble on the planet right now. But what they may lack in vowel usage they more than make up for in the tunes department.

It’s been a heady introduction for the band, having emerged from their humble East Yorkshire beginnings in 2016 to self-releasing the single “Kare” two years later. Picking up a host of glowing reviews along the way, it’s no wonder they were signed to an established label sooner rather than later. So, when esteemed independent Sonic Cathedral Recordings came calling, the alliance between bdrmm and the label was born.

Last year’s If Not, When? EP highlighted the quintet as one of the most exciting new guitar bands in the UK, and Bedroom, their long-awaited debut LP, fully realizes their promise while hinting at even greater things to come. The title, which explains the band’s name in English rather than text speak, demonstrates a maturity far beyond what their moniker suggests.

Comprised of 10 tracks in all, Bedroom feels like being transported into a kitchen-sink drama where stories of unplanned pregnancy, alcohol abuse, mental health, and the general rollercoaster of being twenty-somethings in post-Brexit England who find themselves awash with a shimmering soundscape that recalls Oshin era DIIV, Deerhunter’s Microcastle, or even The Cure at their most ambiently grandiose.

Bedroom is a concept album of sorts that switches moods with every key, whether it be subtle instrumental opener “Momo” or its segue into the dizzy heights of “Push/Pull.” Sandwiched in the middle is the delirious couplet of “Gush” and “Happy,” which fall crushingly into “(The Silence),” another (this time) bleak instrumental that acts as a buffer for what comes next.

“If….” picks up the pace once more before Bedroom’s epic penultimate moment, “Is That What You Wanted To Hear?,” leads to one final crash and the album grinds to a halt. Its creators’ next chapter seems to be on a knife edge, leaving all things sundry hanging in suspense.

This is a confident and assured debut that demands a sequel. (www.bdrmm.bandcamp.com)

Author rating: 8/10