GLOOM DIVISION by I Don’t Know How But They Found Me (often shortened to IDK How) released on Feb. 23rd, 2024 to rave reviews from critics and fans alike. The first IDK How project fully-soloed by lead singer Dallon Weekes, GLOOM DIVISION brings the sound that’s become a staple of the band, but shifts, and sometimes subverts, the expectations that people have associated with the group’s sound.
My personal favorite on the album is the sixth track, “SIXFT.” It’s the closest song on the album to what’s typically thought of when discussing IDK How’s sound, and its catchy beat, vocals and chorus flow together extremely well. The song has this vaguely threatening tone to it, with Weekes singing in the chorus, “Don’t push me around, I don’t wanna see you buried six feet underground. Fuck around and find out.” “SIXFT” is also notable in IDK How’s discography, as it’s the first song that’s marked as explicit, something Weekes has stated he tries to stray from when writing songs.
Another favorite of mine is the eleventh track, “SUNNYSIDE.” The song, which feels a lot more optimistic and happy than the typical sinister and sharp sound that has become iconic of the band, mixes a catchy chorus with upbeat instrumental. The effect is a song that sounds more like something by an indie artist such as Hippo Campus or Rex Orange County than what we’ve come to expect from IDK How. That being said, given GLOOM DIVISION’s more experimental sound, the song was a welcome addition that worked well to balance out the overall tone.
The ninth track on the album, “A LETTER,” is a re-recording of a song from Weekes’ previous project, The Brobecks, and takes a breakup letter Weekes received and turns it into a musical masterpiece. The song’s sound is drastically different from the original version, with the new version sounding much more robotic and distanced than the Brobecks version. Instead, it resembles the live version that has become iconic within IDK How live shows.
It’s also worth mentioning the songs that stray from the typical IDK How sound. Several songs on the album have a more mature and rock sound to them, reminding me more of a truck commercial than the 80s glam that their fans have become accustomed to. “SPKOTHDVL,” “SATANIC PANIC” and “iDIOTS OF OZ” are three of the songs that fall into this category and felt like outliers on the album, often taking me out of the atmosphere of it. “iDIOTS OF OZ” also being the closing track did feel somewhat like a let down, as the song feels much milder and less hard hitting than other tracks. In addition, the opening track “DOWNSIDE” does such a good job setting up the album’s sound, that upon getting to “iDIOTS OF OZ,” I often found myself skipping it and just restarting the album.
IDK How’s previous album Razzmatazz, released in 2020, fed into the “lost to time” lore the band tried to create. When paired with their glam rock aesthetic, created a distinct vibe not found among many other bands. That being said, while GLOOM DIVISION’s overall sound and aesthetic still fits into the slightly emo and mildly murderous tone, it doesn’t directly play into the previous look and feel that prior releases always did, signaling a turn in the group’s sound. While Razzmatazz or 1984 Extended Play feel like an edgy teen, GLOOM DIVISION feels like an emo adult who, while still not having their life together, sees there’s more to the world than being emo.Overall, upon first listen, I wasn’t completely sold on the album’s shift in tone and sound from what we’ve gone to expect from IDK How. That being said, since then, after listening to the album more times than I can count, it’s definitely grown on me. Songs that I wasn’t necessarily impressed with on my first listen have since become regulars in my rotation and the ones that I already loved have only continued to be on repeat. While I would suggest newer listeners start earlier in the band’s discography and work their way towards GLOOM DIVISION, the album does stand well on its own. While I wouldn’t say this is my favorite release by I Don’t Know How But They Found Me, GLOOM DIVISION still has an array of super solid songs with lyrics that have a vaguely threatening tone to them, but are complete bops.
Emily Imanishi is a Senior Writing for Film, TV & Emerging Media major whose Spotify wrapped will likely include the entirety of GLOOM DIVISION this year. She can be reached at [email protected]