Bdrmm – ‘I Don’t Know’ album review: widening the scope of shoegaze
On their second album, I Don’t Know, Bdrmm take a small step away from their shoegaze roots to incorporate new elements of ambient and electronic sounds. Ditching any devotion to guitars, the record sees Bdrmm move away from their specific niche as they open up to experimentation with wider soundscapes and lyrics. Written on tour between Hull and the French Alps before recording in their home county of Yorkshire, the LP also marks their first release with Rock Action, the label founded and run by Mogwai.
Despite their increasing success since the release of their debut album Bedroom, an ever-changing environment and the increased influence of outsiders, the modern shoegazers refused to relinquish creative control for their second record. Bassist Jordan Smith contributed the artwork, and long-term collaborator Alex Greaves produced the album at the Nave. Though the creative forces behind Bdrmm have remained the same, their new album pushes the boundaries of their sound.
Singer-guitarist Ryan Smith explains their changing ways on I Don’t Know by stating, “We’re still coming from the same place, but the influences have got much broader.” His brother, bassist and keyboardist Jordan, adds that a lot of it came down to gaining confidence and not wanting to retreat to old ground: “We’d made the guitar record. So we were thinking, ‘What else can we do?'”
Opening with a pumping dance beat and whirring synths, Bdrmm immediately distinguish their new record from their sneaker-staring debut. ‘Alps’ throws up some majorly unexpected electronic inflexions. Written while the band were travelling through the Alps listening to “Thom Yorke’s electronic stuff,” it’s a reflection of exciting exploration. It’s breezy and lighter than their usual heavy soundscapes but still retains Bdrmm’s usual fullness and complexity, layering ambient synths, minimal dance beats, and Ryan Smith’s airy vocals.
The album’s second single, ‘Be Careful’, is pervaded by a love for Radiohead passed down to the Smith brothers from their father. Over a repetitive, soft guitar riff and trip-hoppy percussion, Ryan’s voice emulates Yorke’s as he urges, “Be careful of yourself. Prepare for something else. It’s coming.”
As well as experimenting more with sound, I Don’t Know sees Smith expand his scope lyrically. Moving away from the specificity of his own trauma surrounding relationships, substances, and mental health, he now takes on a more universal approach to writing. Smith said: “I’m writing more ambiguously so that it can be understood by others in whatever situation they’re going through.” He defines the record as feeling like “one person’s relationship” while this one is “so much broader, and can be interpreted in different ways.”
Smith has stated that ‘Be Careful’ specifically was inspired by his own struggles with alcohol during lockdown, but it takes on a more universal, cautionary and reflective voice: “It’s a song about realising how we can all act when we’re not in our right minds. You know, it can unleash stuff, and it’s not always nice.” Despite the track’s heavy origins, it’s sonically calm, with an air of self-reflection and healing.
The Yorke-isms continue into ‘It’s Just a Bit of Blood’, with Ryan Smith’s delicate wailing and minimalist guitars, but the track also sees Bdrmm regain their bolder sense. The soft intervals are broken up by some unrelenting fuzzy moments, sonically wavering with cloudy effects. The enduring influence of the 1990s on the band can be heard, too, in ‘Pulling Stitches’. From its opening strums, the track whisks up nostalgia for Reeboks and poppers. Meanwhile, the themes of healing continue as Smith contemplates second chances.
One of the album’s most interesting moments comes at its mid-point, with ‘Advertisement One’. It’s an ambient track pairing piano with samples of bird sounds, raspy percussion, and indecipherable floaty vocals. Bdrmm provide a moment of meditation, guiding us through an ever-changing soundscape that feels simultaneously natural and artificial.
The album is rounded out with the eight-minute epic, ‘A Final Movement’, a sonic reflection of the growth discussed throughout the record. Building from soft, synthy melancholia to rising strings and optimistic drums, the song acts as a final moment of acceptance.
On I Don’t Know, Bdrmm’s once staunch commitment to guitar music wavers as they welcome samples and synthesisers into their dense, swirling shoegaze. The result is a collection of even bigger, even fuller soundscapes to get lost in.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out New Music Newsletter
All the latest New Music from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.