English quintet
bdrmm pull from several schools of dreamy, driving, hypnotic rock on their debut full-length, which spells out the pronunciation of the band's name. The group seem well-versed in dream pop and post-punk, with a hazy but clean guitar sound and steady, propulsive drumming that nods to Krautrock and space rock (particularly on motorik-style opener "Momo"), but there are also some more dramatic moments that allude to Brit-pop and alternative rock's anthemic qualities. Frontman Ryan Smith states that the lyrics address several heavy subjects, such as mental health and substance abuse, but his reverb-heavy delivery often obscures his words, unless the listener is paying close attention. On songs like "Push/Pull," the dark, tension-filled guitars convey the feelings of alienation and dashed hope well enough so that it doesn't really matter if one can comprehend the lyrics. Other times, Smith's words ring out more clearly -- during the sunnier "A Reason to Celebrate," everything drops out halfway through for him to call out "It's okay for you to walk away." A few tunes are more upbeat, combining surf-influenced guitars and shivering post-punk rhythms. "Happy" delivers the refrain "I'm happy if you're happy" with mixed emotions, and "Gush" seems like it's trying to be jaunty to keep from feeling so glum. Tracing the emotional arc of the album, a couple of calmer interludes lead into the crashing splendor of "If...." and the brooding shoegaze turbulence of "Is That What You Wanted to Hear?" The glacial drift of "Forget the Credits" feels like all of the previous songs' stress has been released as a balloon, and it feels fine to just lay back and free one's self of all burdens, now that it's all over.