A wash of shiver-inducing shoegaze consumes the senses as bdrmm engulf not just our ears, but our very souls with “John on the Ceiling,” the dark, atmospheric, and spellbinding lead single off their third album, ‘Microtonic.’
follow our Today’s Song(s) playlist
Stream: “John on the Ceiling” – bdrmm
A wash of shiver-inducing shoegaze consumes the senses as bdrmm engulf not just our ears, but our very souls with their spellbinding ‘late-night’ sound.
Released November 12th, 2024 via Mogwai’s Rock Action Records, “John on the Ceiling” – the lead single off their upcoming third album Microtonic – sees the Hull based quartet confronting human behavior through a darkly ethereal, atmospheric, and unapologetically intense sonic haze.
As we stand by, fascinated,
All the pieces laid to rest.
From the outside, looking inwards,
All seems perfect once again.
From our problems that they share,
Have been dampened, soaked in doubt.
While they stand there, thinking of the
ways to escape what’s said and done.
“The themes surrounding ‘John on the Ceiling’ are that of confusion and doubt,” bdrmm vocalist and guitarist Ryan Smith tells Atwood Magazine. “When something ends and another starts, you lure yourself into a false sense of security that the mistakes made won’t happen again. This happens over and over until you are paralysed in limbo. Can people ever truly change?”
Smith and bandmates Jordan Smith (bass, synth and vocals), Conor Murray (drums), and Joe Vickers (guitar) deliver a soul-stirring moment of smoldering self-reflection in the chorus. As drums pulse and synths rage, Smith’s voice soars high – removing the rose-colored glasses so many of us rely on:
So don’t go changing the moments,
Hold our pasts in time.
The pieces that never last
have found their place in us.
Since its release in November, “John on the Ceiling” has been succeeded by recent singles “Infinity Peaking” and “Lake Disappointment,” both of which find bdrmm continuing to flesh out the bold and brutal musical landscapes of Microtonic. At times cold, yet simultaneously sweaty, bdrmm’s art aches with an inescapable, undeniable intensity.
As Ryan Smith explains, these chilling, charged sensations are all in service to the greater vision for, and concept surrounding Microtonic.
“The whole idea of the record is Dystopia,” he shares. “It seems we spend every waking moment constantly watching the world become a harder and harder place to live. Watching the news has become unbearable. It feels like we’re living in something that we watched on Black Mirror. I remember seeing that show and thinking how dark it was, and now when I watch it, it’s just normal. It feels like we’re living it. So the majority of the lyrics are surrounding living in a world that doesn’t feel real anymore, it doesn’t feel like ours. We’re controlled day in and day out. “
“Snares for example, I wanted to do something more spoken word. I wanted to actually talk to people, rather than disguise words in melody. ‘The time that we’ve forgotten has been warped, broken and taken away…’ This relates to my mental state after the pandemic, and its ongoing effect. I don’t feel I came out of that major event the same person I did when I went into it. I am constantly trying to remember what I was like before that happened, but I know it wasn’t the person I am now.”
Smith continues, “Clarkycat was inspired after reading Kafka’s Metamorphosis (and yes, that is a nod to Brass Eye. I feel like we’re living in a word that Chris Morris used to parody, except it isn’t funny anymore). I was reading into David Lynch’s inspiration for Eraserhead, as after watching that, I really wanted to make the whole album feel as if it was from that world. The words came very organically after reading that. The anxiety that the character Gregor describes felt very relatable, so I wanted to try and channel the feelings into the track.”
While the faceless
bite their tongues, we
all need something
to hold onto.
When they step down
drenched in loss, they
will finally realise
what they’ve done.
“The whole album does feel pretty bleak from what I’ve said, but there are glimmers of hope and joy. This is probably the happiest I have been while writing lyrics for the album, it’s just unfortunate that the rest of the world is constantly becoming a harder place to live. It cannot help but seep into the subconscious and be the only thoughts get translated to the music.”
The kind of song that lights a fire deep down inside, “John on the Ceiling” is cathartic and cleansing – a fiery fusion of shoegaze and UK garage ready to engulf its audience, and ensure we pay extra special attention to bdrmm over the months to come.
Microtonic, bdrmm’s third studio album, is set to release February 28th via Rock Action Records.
So don’t go changing the moments,
Hold our pasts in time.
The pieces that never last
have found their place in us
— —
:: stream/purchase Microtonic here ::
:: connect with bdrmm here ::
— —
Stream: “John on the Ceiling” – bdrmm
— — — —
Connect to bdrmm on
Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram
Discover new music on Atwood Magazine
© Stew Baxter
© Stew Baxter
:: Today’s Song(s) ::
follow our daily playlist on Spotify
:: Stream bdrmm ::
