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Aug 04, 2023 Web Exclusive By Matt the Raven

On the first trip through bdrmm’s sophomore album I Don’t Know, fans will notice the dramatic immediacy of 2020’s debut album Bedroom is missing. Released at the peak of the modern world’s largest health scare, Bedroom was the perfect antidote to the lockdowns with its shadowy atmospherics, taut, polyrhythmic beats, smoldering guitars, and just the right amount of The Cure’s tuneful hopefulness.

But after a few more spins, I Don’t Know reveals the band has traded The Cure’s tuneful hopefulness for Radiohead’s adventurous experimentation, without losing any of the post shoegaze/dream pop buzz created on their debut. Most of the same ingredients are present but executed in unconventional ways, venturing away from pop structure while filling the contemplative and murky spaces with dreamy guitar melodies and airy synths.

But while certainly more expansive and perhaps not wrapped quite as tight—and showing a confident maturity—I Don’t Know is not all cinematic. The more commercially accessible singles “It’s Just a Bit of Blood” and “Pulling Stitches” take a page from We Were Promised Jetpacks’ playbook with frothy melodies, spiraling guitar riffs, and catchy refrains, while “Be Careful” soothes and entertains with waves of effects-laden guitars and a slinky groove that makes it the perfect blueprint for modern shoegaze music. Other sonic pleasures are scattered throughout with soaring guitar chords and searing leads that are tempered with smooth interludes and sprawling backdrops such as those heard on standout track “We Fall Apart” and the epic 8-minute closer “A Final Movement”.

Bdrmm set the expectation bar high with an excellent first record, so kudos to them for pushing the envelope and exploring new avenues, which is what we want—and expect—from a band with so much talent. As a whole, this aesthetic suits the band well as I Don’t Know is an exciting chapter in the contemporary shoegaze book and proves to be an accomplished achievement that channels the band’s influences into something unique and fresh that explores contrasting moods within the context of melodic indie rock. (www.bdrmm.bandcamp.com)

Author rating: 8.5/10