An album plucked from 1985: ‘Razzmatazz’
On Friday, Utah’s own I Don’t Know How But They Found Me released their first full-length album, “Razzmatazz.” Previous to this, the band had released an EP titled “1981 Extended Play” in 2018 and a handful of singles. Unlike most bands, the members of I Don’t Know How But They Found Me, usually stylized as IDKHow, both came from other projects and teamed up to create a “secret” kind of band. They began releasing songs on YouTube in early 2016 with the hope that the people who discovered them would see IDKHow as a forgotten act lost among a sea of creation.
The first matter that duo Dallon Weekes and Ryan Seaman needed to figure out was how to disconnect from their previous projects: Panic! At the Disco and Falling in Reverse, respectively. “1981 Extended Play” was a small taste of that disconnect, but “Razzmatazz” proves the duo are capable of creating their own place on the musical spectrum.
The opening track, “Leave Me Alone,” has Weekes passionately making a point that “you’re a big shot here, but nobody else knows. Now, I want you to leave me alone.” A fast-paced drumbeat overlays a saxophone, taking listeners back to the golden era of Huey Lewis and the News and Duran Duran.
“Nobody Likes the Opening Band” talks about just that. Nobody comes to a concert for the opening band, and a lot of times it’s annoying to have to sit through an act you don’t care for. However, Weekes has made it clear that opening bands are more important than we might think. Every major band once started out as openers, with their “second-hand guitars” and “uninspired faces.” Starting a band is tough, but even IDKHow once opened on stage before they started their own.
“It could have been really easy to come out of the gate and say ‘Hey, we’re from these bands,’” said Weekes in a 2018 interview with The Utah Statesman, “but that seemed really disingenuous so we wanted to build our own credibility.”
And credibility have they built. They have over 1.8 million daily listeners and their number one single, “Choke,” is sitting at 54 million streams on Spotify. Weekes and Seaman have proved that creating music is beyond simple talent but is a playground of wit and color that allows musicians to do pretty much whatever they want.
“The Gallows” provides a combination of electric robot voices and jazz, placing the listener smack in the middle of an old school arcade. It also gives off old school Brobecks vibes, which was a previous project Weekes and Seaman worked together on. “Sugar Pills” and “New Invention” use heavy-handed guitar solos, synthesizers and settle drum tracks to get you up and dancing. “Kiss Goodnight” and “Need You Here” are Bon Jovi and Tears for Fears style power ballads that show Weekes’ sensitive side. Whatever you are looking for, this album has it all.
The closing track and title track, “Razzmatazz,” is my personal favorite on the album. Piano, synth and a saxophone solo, you’ll put this song on and have your father reminiscing of the “good ol’ days.” After all, who doesn’t love some “good old fashioned razzmatazz?”
Score: 8/10
Recommended if you like: The Killers, Panic! At the Disco, half alive, Weathers
Sydney Dahle is a fourth-year student studying history and political science at Utah State and is currently the Lifestyles Content manager for The Utah Statesman. She hails from St. Louis, Missouri, and spends her free time writing and listening to music.
@dillydahle