GLOOM DIVISION: I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME’s Sophomore Album
I, like many other fans of I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME, have been waiting for their sophomore album, GLOOM DIVISION, since the release of their debut album in October 2020. I have been a fan of the band since their debut EP, 1981, in 2018, and even got to see them on tour in 2019. Like many others, I became a fan through my appreciation of Dallon Weekes, a former member of Panic! at the Disco. IDKHOW, then, was comprised of Dallon Weekes and former Falling in Reverse drummer Ryan Seaman. Between the two albums, though, Weekes is the only remaining member.
In order to find what Weekes drew inspiration from, I did a bit of digging into the press he did for the new album. Weekes primarily pulled from the music he listened to as a teen and in his early twenties and most notably cites Elvis Castello, Sparks, Louis XIV and Midnight Vultures. If you want to watch the full interview with Rocksound, check it out here.
I’ve had this album on repeat since its release on February 23. It has such a grip on my brain that even when I’m not listening to anything, the chorus of “DOWNSIDE” is inevitably playing in my head. Each track on this album is different, but it doesn’t feel disjointed in any way. The glam rock-ness of it all ties it together seamlessly; so much so, the songs could be referencing various subjects, but would always manage to flow through the same vein.
“DOWNSIDE” is the song I just can’t get out of my head, even when listening to other parts of the album. I would love to be able to talk about the music more than just the intros, but I have a very visual brain, so I process the songs as a whole rather than singularly picking apart each aspect of the song. The track opens very forcefully and chaotic, with repetitive vocals and almost resembling a large crash. I usually don’t take a liking to songs that yell at me — a sensory overload — but I love the fact that it calms down after its initial impact. “DOWNSIDE” is very much a love song, but in a way that screams its regret and lovesick pain. An academic, rivals-to-lovers story unfolds in my head as I listen: these protagonists know they shouldn’t be together, but it feels so natural and it’s all they’ve ever wanted. The chorus says it all:
“I wanna listen to you whisper to me / I wanna watch bad American movies / Don't wanna give another kiss with my baby on my mind / It wasn't kind, it was kind of boring / I put a pill in my cup every morning / And when I die, I'll get those cold copper kisses on my eyes / And now I'm fighting for a look at the downside.”
Image courtesy of MANICPROJECT
When “GLOOMTOWN BRATS” was released as a single, I initially didn’t vibe with it, but was hoping the track would more serve the album’s overall concept, so I kept listening. However, its great bassline, early on, drew me in and kept me listening. I was pleasantly surprised. “GLOOMTOWN BRATS” is a critique of the wealth-privileged refusing to attribute their successes to the arts. Once I took time to understand the lyrics, this song struck a particular vein in me because this type of oblivion is prevalent in the college experience. One of my favorite parts of the song is the bridge into the last chorus:
“Night heat, back again / Turn them on, play pretend / Blue-blooded fantasy / Apocalypse, vanity / Sex is a weapon / Girl, you're cruel intentions / Life is a bitch when you're rich girls in Gloomtown.”
It outwardly mocks the rich kid, clubbing-partying lifestyle while also playing to the chosen ignorance of the target it mocks. The song is such a clever commentary and aligns so well with previous IDKHBTFM releases, like “Social Climb” and “Razzmatazz.”
“INFATUATION” is another one of my favorites on the album, but I didn’t think I would latch onto it like I did. The steady and clear rhythm throughout the song is one of the things that hooked me from the start. I interpret it as an overwhelming crush getting labeled in the singer’s head as this short-lived obsession – and infatuation, if you will. The piece of the song that I grasped onto immediately was the bridge right before the second chorus:
“And something is wrong with this blank invitation / To retrieve your outworn evening gowns / And shooting my brain, little shots of salvation / What a drag to drag you down into infatuation”
The “little shots of salvation.” This piece will pop into my head at the most inconvenient of times, often leading me to play the song in my head. This also has very similar tones to “From the Gallows” off RAZZMATAZZ or their single, “Mx. Sinister.”
“WHAT LOVE?” is another single that I didn’t resonate with at first. It’s definitely one of those songs you have to listen to a few times before it clicks. Even after 50 listens, I’m finding little words and things I didn’t notice before. I don’t have much of a story visualized for this one yet, as I’m still working through the lyrics, but the music video is worth the watch. Also, I’ve said it many times and will continue to say it: I love Dallon Weekes’ falsetto. It reappears on many tracks on this album and if you went to the tour, pre-RAZZMATAZZ, you likely heard his cover of “Debra” by Beck (which is another solid listen).
“SPKOTHDVL” is probably my favorite song on the album. I have recommended it to everyone, especially if they have a taste for classic rock. Everything about this song is etched into my brain. This is a song that has a lot of room for interesting staging and performance, but it definitely could be cut together with tour footage (like the official “Living On A Prayer” music video from Bon Jovi (1986)). It’s great to blast anywhere and I can firmly say it is a strut song. It’s such a glam rock song that it’s all I can see when listening: I do think this would be the first song to recommend to fans of Hayloft or Arctic Monkeys just because of the instrumentals. “SPKOTHDVL” reminds me a lot of the short-lived Prime series, Paradise City because of that rocker-glory that is both expressed and critiqued here.
I only picked up on the eeriness of “SIXFT” once the lyrics and music started to connect to imagery in my head. This song gives me images of a movie villain from a teen slasher horror film. This villain knows they’re not good for anyone and knows they will hurt people, but they still care for someone anyway. To me, it recounts every little push to the breaking point before they snap at the person they are attached to. I gather this from the opening verse and each verse after explains more and more why they’re a bad person. I also tied this to JD from the original Heathers. I think this song also can be tied to “From the Gallows” off RAZZMATAZZ as well.
The intro of “FIND ME” reminds me of old arcade games, but also has an opening melody that feels as if it could back an X-Files episode. I interpreted it as putting up a facade for so long, you lose your true self in the process. This lyricism with the backing vocals gives me a very wandering-soul vibe.
“KISS & TELL” is another love song off the album. It comes across as something that could be in a chick-flick-esque movie or a girl’s coming-of-age that explores a private relationship and coming to terms with the breaking of boundaries. My first thought was Easy A: the tragedy that struck once Emma Stone’s character was officially labeled the “harlot” of her school.
“How could it be so sweet, but you're bad for me / Leave me with a heartbreak and a tragedy / I can't give you what you want no more.”
This set of lines right before the first chorus is my favorite part of the song because there’s a relationship established, but the act of “kissing and telling” is going to tear them apart. It’s as if there is one partner who got into a relationship just to be with someone, and the other partner is hopelessly devoted. This song is that devotee making peace with the one who used them.
It wouldn’t be IDKHOW without some spoken word on their album, and “A LETTER” is just that. The instrumentals remind me of old arcade games at the beginning, but it also is very dreamy, surrounding the elements of spoken word. It feels like a direct tie-in to “KISS & TELL” because it’s almost an apology for a breakup and further setting boundaries.
Image courtesy of Andy McGinnis
Next comes “SATANIC PANIC.” This is another one of my favorites because it’s a straight-up banger, but I also love the call-out to the actual Satanic Panic era because this song would have been kept from children at that time. The intro had an interesting rhythm that doesn’t feel quite natural, but that’s what I latched onto, and honestly, the bridge was the selling point for me. One of my favorite lines occurs in the second bridge and I have no other comments outside of putting it here: “looks like the devil in a two dollar cape.” Though I don’t think this is a song that should have a traditional music video, I do wish it had tour footage edited into it because it should be performed in a very glam-rock way. Obviously, this would most likely come after the GLOOM DIVISION tour ends.
“SUNNYSIDE [ft. Will Joseph]” is such a fun and upbeat song that fans are already using it to capture their vacation footage. It’s very blastable in the car and I found it to be a great walk song as well. It’s not quite a strut song, but it’s a little faster than a stroll. The “transatlantic expertise” line at the end of the second verse takes me by surprise every time because of my previous interest in the Hollywood transatlantic accent – I think the dark lyricism is overshadowed by the jumpy music, but that’s part of what makes it such a great song.
The final song on the album is entitled “iDIOTS OF Oz.” I’m sure the strange capitalization has some form of significance, but at the moment, I don’t think it changes much for me. I originally thought this song would have a strong connection to The Wizard of Oz, but I didn’t catch any direct references. The waiting room-esque music at the beginning intrigued me, and then it started giving time travel vibes – I loved it. Most of the lyrics to this song are unintelligible to me, but it definitely makes the statement, “I’m gonna live my truth no matter what you think.” The “Stand up, sell out” lines are very much a critique of those bands who “make it” because they focus on making more marketable music, but it could also point to the ones who sell the rights to their songs for use in movies or ads. I think it leans more, though, toward the artists who make music that they know will sell versus the music they feel in their heart is good – sort of relating to the “TikTok-ification” of pop music. This is another song that graces listeners to Weekes’ falsetto.
I can also say with complete certainty that IDKHOW puts bonus tracks on their physical copies of music. I own the vinyl for RAZZMATAZZ and now also GLOOM DIVISION, and both records have at least one bonus track on them. I can’t say for certain that the CDs do as well, but I would expect them to. Because the hidden track isn’t something on a digital release, I am not discussing it. I also didn’t realize it was a hidden track when I first listened to it.
With any IDKHOW album, I will always tell someone to listen to the whole thing, front to back, because my favorites are likely to be very different from theirs because of the sheer variety in their discography. GLOOM DIVISION is no different in that regard. Every song sounds different and what may be a favorite to me may not be a favorite for someone else.