bdrmm - I Don't Know (LP)

By the time bdrmm rolled out I Don't Know in June 2023, the Hull outfit had already earned a reputation for reviving shoegaze with some post-rock spine. Signing to Rock Action, the label run by Mogwai, sharpened that focus. You can hear the confidence of a band that knows how to wring feeling from texture, then cut it with just enough clarity to keep you locked in rather than lost.

What hits first is the space. Guitars bloom then pull back, as if the room itself is breathing with the drums. The band lets notes hang and decay, but there’s intent in the way everything is placed. It feels considered, not hazy for haze’s sake. On It’s Just A Bit Of Blood, a standout single, the bass grips the track while the guitars smear light around the edges. Ryan Smith’s vocal sits cool in the middle, gently pushing rather than pleading. The song builds in measured steps, so when the chorus finally lands it feels earned. You get a similar slow-burn pay-off on Pulling Stitches, where a patient verse gives way to something tidal and strangely tender.

The sound isn’t pure pedal worship. bdrmm fold in electronics and ambient pads that nod to their post-rock labelmates without ever mimicking them. That broader palette pays off on Be Careful, which drifts in on a synth mist before the band snaps into focus. Little production choices keep you coming back. The hi-hats are crisp but tucked. Reverbs have length yet never blur the voice. They worked with producer Alex Greaves again, and the mix trusts the quiet just as much as the storms. It’s the sort of record that rewards a late-night session with good headphones, then reveals even more when you spin the bdrmm vinyl and let the low-end push the air in the room.

Lyrically, they keep things unsentimental. Lines arrive like fragments, not diary entries, which fits the music’s mood. There’s a British stoicism running through it, a distance that draws you closer rather than shutting you out. The band’s roots in Hull hang in the corners, too. You can hear the coastal grey and long stretches of horizon in the way these songs stretch without sagging.

Reviewers picked up on that growth. Outlets like The Guardian and NME praised how I Don’t Know steps past a genre exercise and into its own weather system, and fans have treated the record as a proper level-up rather than a retread of the debut. It’s still shoegaze at heart, but the edges are cleaner, the dynamics bolder, the songwriting more assured. Even at full roar there’s air between the instruments, which makes the crescendos feel heavier when they arrive.

If you came in through the debut Bedroom, the shift to Rock Action makes sense. There’s a whisper of Mogwai’s patience in the pacing, and a hint of The Twilight Sad’s chilly grandeur in the synth layers, yet bdrmm keep their own fingerprints all over it. They know when to let a guitar figure loop until it turns hypnotic, and when to cut the loop with a sharp lyric or a delay tail that vanishes a little faster than you expect.

As a vinyl listen, I Don’t Know is kind to a turntable. The pressing breathes, with a roomy drum sound and a pleasing thump that gives the quieter passages weight. If you’re browsing a Melbourne record store on a rainy arvo, this is the sort of sleeve that catches your eye, then ends up on the platter while you lose track of time. For anyone hunting bdrmm vinyl, the album’s packaging and sequence make a strong case for grabbing the physical copy rather than sticking with a playlist. If you like to buy bdrmm records online, you’ll also find that I Don’t Know vinyl sits neatly alongside other bdrmm albums on vinyl, the kind of run that makes you want to keep a shelf just for modern shoegaze. And if you’re in the habit of searching for vinyl records Australia wide, this one pops up often for good reason.

In a crowded field of dreamy guitars, I Don’t Know stays memorable because it knows restraint and release in equal measure. No bloat, no big concept, just a band honing the tools they already had and finding new tones to match them. Play it loud, then play it quiet. Either way it sticks.