Hailing from Hull and Leeds, bdrmm have delivered their debut LP on the much
loved and acclaimed Sonic Cathedral label. Stuart Ralston came across them
late one night when his favourite 6 Music DJ Gideon Coe gave their track Happy
a spin a few months ago.
The bdrmm journey began in 2016, and came together rather quickly, when
frontman Ryan Smith sent off a track he’d written and recorded on his iPhone
and GarageBand to the BBC Introducing website, which resulted in a play on
Radio One. At that point Ryan knew he needed to get a band together. Joined by
his brother Jordan on bass, Joe Vickers on guitar, Luke Irvine (drums) and
Danny Hull (synths), the band were soon demoing and recording material.
Frequent support slots throughout 2018 and further radio exposure from Steve
Lamacq and by January last year, Nat at Sonic Cathedral caught their live show
and wanted bdrmm to be part of their Singles Club. From there, their
relationship has blossomed and the debut album reaches the high standards
we’ve come to expect from Sonic Cathedral - clearly one of the best
independent labels in the country just now.
Producer Alex Greaves is viewed by the band as integral to developing their
sound. Having previously produced for Working Men’s Club, Greaves has worked
with bdrmm since their debut single. The album was mastered by Heba Kadry who
has worked with Slowdive and Björk amongst others. The 10 tracks that make up
Bedroom marks a sonic shift from earlier material thanks to the production
team of Greaves and Kadry.
The slow building Momo gets the album underway, generating a real warmth, and
there’s almost a familiarity with the album, as if you know it already. The
instrumental Momo is reminiscent of the likes of The Lucid Dream and Pale
Saints, an uplifting, multilayered soundscape and a delightful opening. It
sequences into the dramatic Push/Pull and for me, I’m reminded of The Mary
Chain, Ride and My Bloody Valentine - bands that bdrmm would be more than
happy to be compared too. Indeed, Ride’s Andy Bell is already a fan and has
remixed current single A Reason To Celebrate. The remix stays true to the epic
version presented here but with added twists and turns.
The album has been viewed by the band as a concept album - running through the
stages of a break up - and on A Reason To Celebrate, Smith pours his heart out
“How naive we are, yet we made it this far.” From the despair comes an
uplifting sense on Gush, driven along by a spectacular bass line and crystal
clear production yet set against this musical optimism comes the juxtaposing
reflective vocals from Smith.
Happy was my introduction to the band several months ago - forcing me to
listen and seek out further recordings. For me it’s the most immediate song on
the album. Driven along at a frantic pace; every space filled with layers of
guitars and once again an dominant rhythm section maintaining that pace. That
pace is slowed down by the almost feedback only jam of (The Silence) and
(Un)happy. There’s an ebb and flow to this record to me which is reminiscent
of the celebrated works of My Bloody Valentine on their magnificent albums
Isn’t Anything and Loveless. Although Bedroom doesn’t quiet reach those
heights, you can sense that the band have that determination and ambition to
reach there.
The album takes the listener on a real sonic journey and on If... the band
almost scale it back a bit. More stripped back than previous cuts, Smith’s
vocals are much more prominent in the mix and to some extent, this stripped
back approach just makes bdrmm sound even more powerful. It’s possibly the
most song-like track on offer here and in itself goes on its own musical
journey over its five minute time frame.
The album doesn’t let up as it draws to a close on Is That What You Wanted To
Hear? and Forget The Credits. There’s a simplicity to arpeggio that opens Is
That What You Want To Hear? allowing the vocals to take centre stage whilst
Forget The Credits almost sounds like a film soundtrack.
Bedroom is a incredibly ambitious debut, superbly produced and we look forward
to hearing it live - the band are currently rescheduling UK and European
dates.
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