Label: Self-Released
Released: 6th August 2021
In just eight tracks, British duo IDER have created a pop album with such breadth of style that it plays like walking through the many rooms of a nightclub you aren’t cool enough to be in. That said, ‘shame’ delivers magnificently as the band’s second album, seeing Megan Markwick and Lily Somerville taking control of the production process from farm to fork. We receive IDER in an unadulterated, undiluted form with more of their iconic harmonies and perpetual rhythm.
Crafting pop soundscapes with enough layers to keep you coming back a thousand times is something IDER have already proven they are well versed in. The likes of ‘Cross Yourself’ and ‘Obsessed’ are no exception to this thanks to their use of entrancing programmed percussion and hidden slips of distorted vocals that seem to come from nowhere. There isn’t a dull moment in sight here. Even when toning down the speed on ‘waiting 17 03’, there’s still this bizarre complexity in the ambiance that bookends the track.
Of course, the not-so-secret weapon of IDER is their synchronicity. Reeling off paragraphs of perfectly paced lyrics until their voices practically become one is their trademark and it’s all the more admirable when the lyrics are so honest. “I’m bored of your day job, I’m bored of your evening, I’m bored of the shit that you chat when you’re steaming,” they sing on the aptly titled ‘BORED’. The whole album screams a confidence that isn’t found in believing you’re perfect but in accepting you are not.
There’s no doubt that IDER have blessed us with a bounty of bangers in ‘shame’, proving that their creativity knows no bounds when broadening the horizons of what pop music can be. With the difficult second album under their belts, there truly is no knowing what magic they’ll bring us next.
