A very neat package Gloom Division is. Bright, popping colours, an ominous title which sounds more like a military wing for some unknown army than an album charting the perils of infatuation with uninterested parties, it all comes together for Dallon Weekes. He is now on his lonesome, drummer Ryan Seaman departed the band before this project was truly conceptualised. Play on the wall of sound and allow Gloom Division in with its wails and waves, its assured bass riffs and a singer capable of pushing through on his lonesome. Few groups survive the ripples of departure, fewer get better. iDKHOW brings out some of their most confident work to date – their second album a monumental treat of loud and boisterous sounds paired with the assured vocals of putting up a fight.
Opener Downside is a welcome introduction to Gloom Division, capturing just about everything right with their sound. A dependable vocalist, plenty to live in the instrumentals and an energetic boom which is held together the whole way through. Neat layering to Infatuation keeps things honest, and a perky pop-like style flows through. What Love? tires of it and brings out a lush slice of mixing. Parts of this feel like Weekes, now freed from collaborating with other solid band members, is trying to piece together a worthy follow-up by leaning into some electronic motions. It works well and the lyrical strengths he presents are matched by an incredible voice fluttering through octave changes and powerful layering. Weekes sounds as though he sings against himself, the back-and-forth in his head spilling out into Spkothdvl. Love is a killer but what a rush it can be.
Only on Sixft does iDKHOW sound as though a new level has been reached. It is by far the best piece of the album, a drifting experience which builds from avoiding fights, getting involved in them and landing yourself buried deep in the ground. Narrative songwriting is frequently attempted by Weekes, and this is the best of the bunch. Gloom Division enjoys the peaks of light pop with Find Me and Kiss & Tell. Lean back into them and pick out a few which will serve as summer sounds. Weekes has a grand sense of instrumental layering with this one, and often it obscures his vocal range – particularly in the latter half of the album. No complaints there, especially when the soft percussion, and the flowing guitar work, are wonderfully interesting.
Some tracks are saved from wavering by the confidence placed in these piano spots. At its core, there is a sense of revitalisation for Weekes whose newfound independence lends itself to the quietest jazz influences. An airheaded sway to the left and right for Kiss & Tell to the fundamentals of pained guitar expression on follow-up A Letter provides some of that shallow funk. Satanic Panic does too before it rises on this floating mix, the easy comings and goings accepted as pit stops rather than permanent places of rest. Gloom Division is anything but downtrodden – a frequently upbeat and fast piece of work which hopes to keep listeners on the sunny side of life – as Sunnyside reflects on. Plenty of noise, not all of it perfect, but an exceptional showcase of David Byrne-like performances. Hear it all come together on closer Idiots of Oz and play it through all over again.
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