Returning as a solo act four years after the project's 2020 debut
Razzmatazz,
Dallon Weekes pushes
iDKHOW's sound in multiple directions on the stylish but scattered
Gloom Division. Starting with the best of the bunch, the thick bass groove and synth claps on "Gloomtown Brats" twist '80s
Bowie through indie-dance rock sleaze, while the riotous closer "iDIOTS OF Oz" conjures controlled chaos with another thick bassline, digital squiggles, and
Weekes' glam rock posturing. Indeed, the album works best when
Weekes delivers arena-ready fare like the soaring rock blast "A Letter"; the pulsing glam rocker "Satanic Panic"; and the rollicking blues rock jam "SPKOTHDVL" which struts and screams like
the Black Keys. Beyond these immediate attention grabbers, much of
Gloom Division's energy is bogged down by midtempo lounge-act material: the slinky "Infatuation" and the sparkling "What Love?" focus on lusty come-ons, as whispers of "sexual perversity" are exaggerated by falsetto and breathless panting. Meanwhile, the laid-back lounge funk heard on "SIXFT" (as in "six feet underground"), the robo-romance of the digital "Find Me," and
the Strokes-esque "Kiss & Tell" are pleasing enough but get lost in the mix. Overall, as a sophomore statement,
Gloom Division is anything but a slump. There's more stylistic diversity and genre experimentation this time around, expanding
Weekes' scope and revealing a talent for a wide variety of dance-friendly rock sonics. Free from the confines of
iDKHOW's high-pressure debut reveal,
Gloom Division offers a bevy of exciting moments to keep listeners engaged, and it's another step toward that perfect album that
Weekes surely has in him. ~ Neil Z. Yeung
