Today, the Hull based quartet bdrmm return with a new single ”John on the Ceiling” and the news that their third album “Microtonic” (pre-order) will land February 28th on Mogwai’s Rock Action label.
The pulsating, late-night feel to “John on the Ceiling” is representative of a new album that takes the band several strides forwards. Being asked to support Daniel Avery, along with a trip to Field Day for a group rave, were both instrumental moments in the band deciding to incorporate more dance music elements into a sound that had already been moving steadily towards across recent releases.
The first single “John on the Ceiling” is a song the band had the foundations for early in their career but one that represented a direction they maybe didn’t possess the full confidence or knowhow to follow at the time. The completion of the propulsive single was to lay the groundwork for how they approached the rest of “Microtonic” and set the precedent for their third record as whole.
Vocalist and guitarist Ryan Smith had the following to say about the new single:
“The themes surrounding John on the Ceiling are that of confusion and doubt. 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?”
The 10 song “Microtonic”, recorded with long-term band collaborator Alex Greaves and featuring guest appearances from Sydney Minsky Sargeant of Working Men’s Club and Olivesque of Nightbus, is unquestionably a bold leap for the group, who have embraced a fuller spectrum of tones and atmospheres. “I felt very constrained writing a certain type of music to fit the genre [we were known for] but something lifted and I felt more free to create what I want,” says Ryan. “And what I seem to be doing at the moment is a lot of electronic music – taking influence from different spans of electronica, from dance music to ambient and more experimental sources.”
Bdrmm’s trademark sound hasn’t disappeared by any means, the band’s more guitar-heavy beginnings a blueprint and influence on many of the groups breaking through in the here and now, a time when shoegaze is enjoying its strongest revival since its inception in the 80s, but those guitars are now incorporated into a broader, more expansive and varied sonic palette.
“Microtonic” follows 2023’s “I Don’t Know”, an album that arrived to critical acclaim with the likes of Consequence calling it “one of their most enticing successes yet” and Rolling Stone UK describing it as “a chaotic, thrilling evolution”. The lead single “It’s Just A Bit Of Blood” was also playlisted on BBC Radio 6 Music, and Brooklyn Vegan made the record their Album Of The Week saying that “I Don’t Know” saw them “not only avoid the sophomore slump but deliver a second album that is miles better their debut.”
“Microtonic” will be available on digital, CD, classic black LP and on indie stories exclusive coloured LP. You can pre-order the album now via Rock Action: bdrmm.lnk.to/
The band also announce a 2025 tour today in support of the album:
March
6 Wylam Brewery, Newcastle UK
7 The Welly, Hull UK
8 Project House, Leeds UK
9 Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow UK
11 Gorilla, Manchester UK
12 Rescue Rooms, Nottingham UK
13 The Castle & Falcon, Birmingham UK
15 Hove Old Market, Brighton UK
16 Papillon, Southampton UK
18 The Fleece, Bristol UK
19 Electric Ballroom, London UK
22 Club Volta, Cologne GE
23 Säälchen, Berlin GE
25 Bogen F, Zurich SWI
26 Santeria Toscana 31, Milan IT
27 TPO, Bologna IT
29 Trabeno, Paris FR
30 Botanique – Orangerie, Brussels BE
31 Melkweg OZ, Amsterdam NL
