“I don’t know how but they found me.”
Dallon Weekes—their lead singer, and former bassist for Panic! At The Disco—has mentioned that their band is inspired by this line by Doc Brown from Back To The Future. I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME (iDKHOW), is an underrated indie pop band, who emerged seemingly out of nowhere in 2016.
During Weekes’ time with Panic!, they wrote many songs on the side which never exactly made the cut to be played by Panic!. So, Weekes founded iDKHOW, with his old bandmate Seaman from the last band they led called The Brobecks. During their founding, iDKHOW established their backstory, they were “a band that time forgot,” which explains the aesthetic of the majority of their music video. These videos follow a style that could only be described as lost footage from the ‘60s through ‘80s.
iDKHOW’s most popular song, Leave Me Alone, which reached #1 on the Billboard Alternative Chart in early 2021, mixes glam-sounds with alternative rock in order to make an extraordinary song about dysfunctional relationships. “It’s just about kind of drawing a line in the sand, whenever you’re in a toxic situation, or relationship, or environment, or whatever it is. ‘Leave me alone’ is usually the last civil thing that gets said before things turn uncivil. And that’s kind of what that song is; it’s sort of a warning to anyone who might want to do you wrong, emotionally or physically or mentally,” Weekes stated in a video explaining the meaning behind the lyrics of the song.
Leave Me Alone is only one of fourteen songs in the album Razzmatazz (stylized in all caps; sometimes as RΛZZMΛTΛZZ), a musical masterpiece where each song has its own unique sound and meaning. The album is an emotional rollercoaster all the way from I Need You Here, a somber song about attachment and the need for permanence, to Clusterhug, an upbeat sounding song which reflects on the nihilistic and hedonistic nature of teenage relationships.
In late 2019, 1981, an Extended Play (EP)—a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record—was released. This EP contains two amazing songs which tell their own unique stories. Bleed Magic is a meaningful song about fitting into society and how doing so will make you lose your magic. The song follows a beautiful melody and striking bassline. Absinthe is a powerful song with crowd vocals to make the song feel similar to a chant or rally of some kind. It displays an honorable warning against abusing substances, hence its name.
These songs are just mere examples of their musical talent, and iDKHOW has many other songs which capture their essence of meaning and sound. This is just the start of their musical prowess, and they plan to continue releasing music. For iDKHOW, the future is bright.
