The sophomore album from I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME, GLOOM DIVISION is a glimpse into the gloriously strange wonderland of Dallon Weekes’ mind. Over the course of 12 shapeshifting songs, the Salt Lake City-based singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist follows his wildest impulses toward a combustible sound encompassing everything from R&B to post-punk to art-pop, approaching each with equal parts unfettered imagination and exquisite attention to detail. As he shed all creative inhibitions, Weekes widened the scope of his songwriting and expounded on such matters as love and sex, satanic panic, and his lived experience with neurodivergence (to name just a few). The most autobiographical work to date from Weekes, a former member of Panic! at the Disco, GLOOM DIVISION ultimately leaves listeners with the very same sense of euphoric fascination that sparked the album’s creation.
Produced by Dave Fridmann (Tame Impala, MGMT, The Flaming Lips), GLOOM DIVISION marks the follow-up to iDKHOW’s critically lauded full-length debut Razzmatazz—a 2020 release featuring “Leave Me Alone,” a #1 hit on Alternative radio. In bringing the new album to life, Weekes embraced a highly collaborative and free-flowing process that involved joining forces with the likes of Joywave’s Daniel Armbruster, Louis XIV’s Jason Hill, Miniature Tigers’ Charlie Brand and Rick Alvin, and British singer/songwriter Will Joseph Cook. “We worked in a way where nothing ever felt forced—I’d send an idea to someone whose work I admire, and if they felt inspired they’d add to it,” says Weekes, who co-produced GLOOM DIVISION and plays guitar, bass, piano, and more on the album. “Sometimes the songs took a complete left turn, which made me want to go even further into a direction I never would’ve pursued on my own. It reminded me how exciting collaboration can be when you’re working with likeminded people who treat their art with care.”
