Following the band’s first studio album “Razzmatazz” in late 2020, “Gloom Division,” released in early 2024, is the newest entry from indie-rock band I Dont Know How But They Found Me.
The band, shorthanded to “iDKHOW,” began as a secret project during frontman Dallon Weekes’ time as the bassist of pop-rock band Panic! at the Disco and has since flourished into something distinct and unique, with a myriad of experimental sounds, a wide range of stylistic deviations and mysterious lore mixed into its music for fans to decipher.
“Gloom Division” opens with “Downside,” a rock track played straight, exhibiting several classic rock influences. The following tracks continue to build upon the sound iDKHOW formed across their previous releases, showcasing the evolution from their earliest music on “1981 Extended Play” into the identity-rich songs of “Razzmatazz.”
The album presents influences ranging from the 60s, 70s and 80s and blends them seamlessly with the modern energy of today’s music to create songs floating somewhere in the wonderful limbo between familiar and uncharted.
To note further, track nine, “A Letter,” is a re-working of a song by the same name from The Brobecks, Weekes’ previous band, which featured early but similarly experimental indie sounds, paving the way for Weekes’ creative intentions with the iDKHOW project. Weekes had done a similar re-working of another Brobecks title, “Clusterhug,” for the release of “Razzmatazz,” and with both, he breathed new life into songs that played important roles in the formation of iDKHOW’s essence.
Perfectly balancing the elements of recollection and exploration, “Gloom Division” provides a vibrant listening experience that both strengthens the band’s unique identity and broadens what people can expect from modern indie-rock. Showcasing several stylistic influences alongside Weekes’ creative dexterity, “Gloom Division” certainly did not disappoint in delivering more of the band’s rich yet wholly approachable take on the genre, extending and further developing what people have come to know from the band’s previous music.
Rating: 9/10
