bdrmm

Hull, U.K.-based quartet Bdrmm walk the line between dream pop and shoegaze, switching between ethereal melancholy and driving delay with ease. Their 2020 debut album, Bedroom, incorporated post-punk, Krautrock, and '90s alternative influences. With 2023's I Don't Know, they switched things up and included more electronic and ambient textures, and 2025's Microtonic went further in this direction, embracing dance genres like acid house and drum'n'bass.

Originally a solo project, lead vocalist Ryan Smith decided to expand into a band; he roped in his brother, Jordan Smith, on bass before drafting Joe Vickers (guitar), Danny Hull (synth, backing vocals), and Luke Irvin (drums). Following a few digital releases, their single "C:U" was picked up by small London label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Permanent+Creeps%22">Permanent Creeps</a>, which secured the song radio play. The track was noticed by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Sonic+Cathedral%22">Sonic Cathedral</a>, which signed the band in 2019 and went on to release their debut EP, If Not, When?, later the same year. They followed up with a full-length release, Bedroom, in 2020. The Bedroom Tapes, an EP of live tracks and remixes, appeared later in the year. The single "Port" followed in 2021, and the song was subsequently remixed by <a href="spotify:artist:3kx1S2P2Qq3a9bG4DGsAjR">A Place to Bury Strangers</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1EULJuDFWpZ9xg4YwtUGGt">Daniel Avery</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5v69lcKunkvGk1SimYwL0M">Jonathan Snipes</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:5HJ2kX5UTwN4Ns8fB5Rn1I">clipping.</a>), and others. A dreamy track titled "Three" was issued in 2022.

By 2023, the band's lineup consisted of Ryan and Jordan Smith, Joe Vickers, and drummer Conor Murray. They signed with <a href="spotify:artist:34UhPkLbtFKRq3nmfFgejG">Mogwai</a>'s <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rock+Action+Records%22">Rock Action Records</a>, and their second album, I Don't Know, drew from a wider pool of influences than their debut, including ambient, trip-hop, slowcore, and jazz. Non-album song "Mud" and a <a href="spotify:artist:2wss0kNi7zdZTrxnCFxSQW">Fila Brazillia</a> remix of "Be Careful" followed. In 2024, bdrmm released the track "Standard Tuning," as well as <a href="spotify:artist:5rZVjGkZZI4TnpMHQwrxfG">Nathan Fake</a>'s remix of "Alps." Microtonic, the band's third album, drew from beat-driven electronic genres such as acid house, techno, and dubstep. The full-length was issued in 2025. ~ Liam Martin & Paul Simpson, Rovi