bdrmm Microtonic

Critic's Take

bdrmm's Microtonic finds the band embracing hooks and texture without losing its haze, and the best songs on Microtonic prove it. The reviewer's voice sings most warmly for “Infinity Peaking” as pure hook and “John on the Ceiling” for its hypnotic beat and layered chorus. Likewise, “Lake Disappointment” is singled out as perhaps the most interesting thing they have ever recorded, punchy and risky in equal measure. Even the title track and quieter moments feed the album's dissociative atmosphere, making these standout songs feel part of a cohesive leap forward.

Key Points

• “John on the Ceiling” and “Infinity Peaking” are the best songs for their hypnotic beat and pure hook respectively.
• The album's core strength is combining shoegaze haze with sharper electronic hooks to create a cohesive, dissociative experience.

Themes

Critic's Take

In this review John Amen finds the best songs on Microtonic to be boldly electronic and compositionally inventive, with “John on the Ceiling” and “Infinity Peaking” standing out for their synth-forward drama and tonal breadth. Amen writes in clipped, observant lines that balance musicology with vivid imagery, praising how “John on the Ceiling” puts synth-y drones on center stage and how “Infinity Peaking” merges the celestial and foreboding. He highlights the instrumental title track “Microtonic” as a showcase of theatrical refrains and melodic synth progressions, and singles out “The Noose” for its quiet, burnished synths that suggest renewal amid tragedy. The narrative frames the album as a reinvention - restlessness retained but widened into a more cosmic, electronic palette.

Key Points

• The best song(s) are synth-forward tracks like "John on the Ceiling" and "Infinity Peaking" because they foreground dramatic, inventive synth work.
• The album’s core strength is its electronic reinvention and atmospheric layering, marrying dreamy textures with gritty, earthier elements.

Themes

Critic's Take

bdrmm have pivoted thrillingly on Microtonic, and the best songs prove why the shift works - notably “Goit” and “Infinity Peaking”. The review revels in how “Goit” replaces pedalboard haze with skittering hi-hats and relentless techno kicks, while “Infinity Peaking” supplies aching, crooned self-reflection. Tracks like “Clarkycat” and “The Noose” push the album into a liminal, detuned territory that lets the record breathe between rave euphoria and shoegaze melancholy. The result is an album where urgency of songwriting and the sonic moiré make the best tracks unforgettable rather than merely surprising.

Key Points

• The best song, “Goit”, is best because it boldly announces the band's dance pivot with striking production and a chilling guest vocal.
• The album's core strengths are its fusion of shoegaze atmosphere with dancefloor textures and urgent, emotionally charged songwriting.

Themes

Critic's Take

bdrmm’s Microtonic finds the band loosening its grip, favoring spacious, psychedelic textures and rich synth melodies that make the best songs bloom. The reviewer's ear lingers on “Lake Disappointment” as the clearest exemplar of the new palette, while “In the Electric Field” is singled out for its dreamy female vocals and status as one of the album’s best tracks. Instrumental highlights like the title cut and “Infinity Peaking” and “Snares” are praised for their moody, meandering arrangements that preserve bdrmm’s ethereal melancholy. Overall the album is described as familiar yet fresh, a successful blend of classic sound and contemporary electronic edge.

Key Points

• “Lake Disappointment” is the best song because it most clearly embodies the album’s new spacious, synth-driven palette with a taut, driving rhythm.
• The album’s core strengths are its blend of bdrmm’s ethereal guitar melancholy with contemporary electronic textures and spacious, psychedelic arrangements.

Themes

Critic's Take

bdrmm's Microtonic is praised for its textural ambition, with the review singling out “Goit” and “Lake Disappointment” as the album's sharper moments. The writer notes that “John on the Ceiling” and the recent singles translate into more straightforward bangers, while tracks like “Snares” reward patience with a euphoric chorus. Yet the same voice warns that some songs - notably “Sat in the Heat” and “Infinity Peaking” - drift too thinly and are easily forgotten. Overall the critic frames the record as a natural progression towards electronica, textured and occasionally thrilling but occasionally insubstantial.

Key Points

• The best song is the opener “Goit” because its ominous vocals and glitchy beats exemplify the record's successful textural ambition.
• The album's core strengths are its textural layering and its move toward electronica and dancefloor rhythms, though some tracks feel too insubstantial.

Themes

Critic's Take

In her measured, evocative voice Aimee Ferrier spots the best songs on Microtonic with clarity: the propulsive “John on the Ceiling” and the sinister instrumental “Microtonic” stand out as highlights, while tracks like “Lake Disappointment” mingle catchy rhythms with post-pandemic unease. Ferrier’s writing balances admiration and wary atmosphere, noting how the band folds danceable beats into bleak, Kafkaesque textures. The result is an album where the best tracks double as moments of escape and eerie reflection, confirming bdrmm’s forward motion without abandoning their shoegaze roots.

Key Points

• The best song is driven by propulsive electronics and dancefloor ambition, making “John on the Ceiling” the record’s clearest highlight.
• Microtonic’s core strengths are its fusion of danceable beats with eerie, dystopian textures and confident experimentation.

Themes

Critic's Take

bdrmm take a giant step forward on Microtonic, and the best tracks - notably “goit” and “The Noose” - make that leap feel inevitable. Gareth Allen writes with clear admiration, highlighting how “goit” startlingly opens the record and how “The Noose” closes it with a soundtrack-sized sweep. The review praises the band’s melding of shoegaze, post-rock and electronic music, and singles out songs like “Infinity Peaking” and “In the Electric Field” as immediate highlights. The tone is celebratory and measured, recommending the album as a triumphant, strongly recommended listen.

Key Points

• The Noose is best for its cinematic sweep and breathtaking final coda.
• The album’s core strengths are its fusion of shoegaze, post-rock and electronic textures with thoughtful dystopian lyrics.

Themes

Critic's Take

In her measured, enthused voice Kayla Sandiford argues that bdrmm have found a new centre on Microtonic, and the best songs on Microtonic - notably “goit” and “Snares” - prove the record's leap into electronic experimentation. She writes in a compact, descriptive cadence, tracking how “goit” nails a growing age of anxiety and how “Snares” channels frantic tat and distressing bass to make these tracks standouts. The narrative stays rooted in the album's themes of dystopia and disillusionment, explaining why these best tracks crystallise bdrmm’s eureka moment. This reads like a confident critical summation: immersive, slightly bleak, and convinced that the band have tapped a vast potential.

Key Points

• The best song, “goit”, is best because it features a prominent collaboration and encapsulates the album’s anxious electronic sting.
• The album’s core strengths are its shift into electronic experimentation, thematic consistency around dystopia, and retained dreamy atmospheres from bdrmm’s past work.

Themes

Critic's Take

bdrmm's Microtonic lodges in a Dystopian unease while still yielding pleasures: the opener “goit” grabs you with bleak spoken-word gravity, “Lake Disappointment” is the record's most aggressive, dance-tinged surge, and the title “Microtonic” works as a meditative instrumental hinge. Damian Sullivan's sentences are measured and descriptive, noting dreamy ambiences on “John on the Ceiling” and the hypnotic calm of “Infinity Peaking”. Overall, the best songs on Microtonic - notably “goit” and “Lake Disappointment” - are where emotive tension and rhythmic drive meet the album's trippy textures.

Key Points

• The best song, particularly “Lake Disappointment”, stands out for its aggressive, dance-tinged energy and restless vocals.
• The album's core strengths are its dreamlike ambiences, trippy instrumental textures, and persistent themes of anxiety and existential questioning.

Themes

Critic's Take

In his typically informative, slightly promotional tone Darryl Sterdan presents bdrmm's Microtonic as a bold evolution, pointing to the best tracks as those that push the band outward - notably “John On The Ceiling” and “Lake Disappointment”. He frames “John On The Ceiling” as a propulsive late-night statement that set the album's direction, and praises “Lake Disappointment” as the record's most aggressive, exciting moment. The review highlights how electronic and dance influences bolster the band's shoegaze core, making these songs the best tracks on Microtonic for listeners seeking intensity and scope.

Key Points

• The best song, "Lake Disappointment", is lauded for its aggression and excitement and for translating the band's anger into dance-inflected energy.
• The album's core strengths are its expanded electronic palette and the way dance and ambient influences broaden bdrmm's shoegaze foundation.

Themes