iDKHOW - GLOOM DIVISION

I Dont Know How But They Found Me brought more than a touch of 'Razzmatazz' to the world of rock with their 2020 debut album. Flickering between sneering menace and a neon-soaked sense of fun, it offered escapism and joy in equal measure. That energy carries over to second album 'Gloom Division', but that's where the similarities end.

While that debut told fantastical stories with a hint of reality, 'Gloom Division' flips the script as iDKHOW's Dallon Weekes reflects on belonging, faith, and community following an AuDHD diagnosis. There's also lust, romance and a twisting takedown of moral panic, all delivered with a knowing wink. Sonically, the world of iDKHOW has also expanded to take in glam rock, 90s R&B and theatrical emo as it defiantly turns further away from sugar-soaked pop-punk. The result is a gloriously giddy ride.

Gone is the cynicism of that first era of the band, too, as iDKHOW unfurls to embrace odd sonic corners and uncomfortable truths to create something charged with fierce optimism. Dancing between swaggering confidence ('Sixft'), dark humour ('Gloomtown Brats), cocksure rock & roll ('Spkothdvl'), urgent pop ('Sunnyside') and chaotic art punk ('A Letter'), iDKHOW's 'Gloom Division' is a sprawling masterpiece that refuses to follow the easy path. It all leads to the same singular vision of championing yourself, though, as iDKHOW carves a space for living life under your own rules.