bdrmm – I Don't Know
On I Don't Know bdrmm have created a solid formula: radio-rock with more substance, nuance and historical awareness than most of their contemporaries
When Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite told bdrmm he’d like to sign them to Rock Action, the Hull five-piece thought it was merely drunken banter. Now, signed to the label and releasing I Don’t Know it’s clear to see that Braithwaite is a lucid thinker even when a few pints deep.
Alps is a statement of intent, a sharp turn away from the strong but straightforward post-rock and shoegaze stylings of 2020’s Bedroom. Electronics bustle around each other, touching upon Boards of Canada territory. The busyness is a chaotic junction, orchestrated just tightly enough to avoid any head-on collisions. On Be Careful the group produce an ear-worming number topped by delicate woodwind, while on Advertisement One they repurpose the sounds of Sigur Rós to beautiful effect, complementary crashing electronics building the atmosphere once again.
bdrmm’s influences are worn on their sleeves, for better or for worse. Any one song has numerous evident reference points lifted from the pantheon of great experimental music before them. But with acute taste and an ability to meld disparate sounds together, bdrmm have a solid formula: radio-rock with more substance, nuance and historical awareness than most of their contemporaries.
Listen to: Alps, Be Careful, A Final Movement