Gloom Division in Bloomington, MN

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
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
'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,
is anything but a slump. There's more stylistic diversity and genre experimentation this time around, expanding
' scope and revealing a talent for a wide variety of dance-friendly rock sonics. Free from the confines of
's high-pressure debut reveal,
offers a bevy of exciting moments to keep listeners engaged, and it's another step toward that perfect album that
surely has in him. ~ Neil Z. Yeung