Line #30 Music/IDontKnowHowButTheyFoundMe


1	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
2	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/idk_drum_bass_dead.jpg]]
3	[[caption-width-right:350:Seaman (left), Weekes (right), [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and a deceased pronghorn]] (centre).]]
4
5	->Nobody likes the opening band\
6	Their set time's far too early\
7	And I've never heard of them\
8	And chances are, they won't go far\
9	Career is sure to end\
10	'Cause no one likes an opening band
11	-->--"Nobody Likes The Opening Band"
12
13	I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME (often shortened to [=IDKHow=] or iDKHOW) is a music project originally featuring bassist and vocalist Dallon Weekes (formerly of Music/PanicAtTheDisco and Music/TheBrobecks) and drummer Ryan Seaman (formerly of Music/FallingInReverse, also played for Music/TheBrobecks). It was created in secret in 2016, and both Weekes and Seaman [[AnonymousBand denied all knowledge]] of the band for several months after their first show. [=IDKHow=] is a concept band, centred around the idea of "a band out of time" originally from the The80s. They never got their big break, and were entirely forgotten about until a box of old cassette tapes was re-discovered in the modern day, leaving a trail of sinister mysteries behind them.
14
15	Three singles were released prior to the band signing to a label: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieThrn5Ujmg Modern Day Cain]]," "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvJjmWTg7Qo Choke]]" and "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dx9nGBsl7I Nobody Likes The Opening Band]]." On the 25th of August 2018, the band released a new single, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXzPxBhhmY8 Do It All The Time]]," re-released "Choke," and made it public knowledge that the band had been signed to Fearless Records.
16
17	On the 9th of November, 2018, they released their debut EP, called ''1981 Extended Play''. Their debut full-length album, ''RAZZMATAZZ'', was released on October 23rd, 2020.
18
19	On September 16th, 2023, it was announced that Ryan was fired from the group, leaving Dallon as the sole member.
20
21	Their second album, ''GLOOM DIVISION'', was released in February 2024 after an announcement in late 2023 accompanied by the news that the band had signed with Concord Records moving forward.
22
23	----
24	!!Discography
25	!!!'''Studio albums'''
26	* ''RAZZMATAZZ'' (2020)
27	* ''GLOOM DIVISION'' (2024)
28	!!!'''[=EP=]s'''
29	* ''1981 Extended Play'' (2018)
30	* ''Christmas Drag'' (2019)
31	* ''Razzmatazz B-Sides'' (2021)
32	----
33	!!We invite you to follow along to these examples:
34	* {{Acappella}}: When they perform "Nobody Likes The Opening Band" live, the first verse is just Dallon singing and snapping his fingers. After that, Ryan joins in with a tambourine and drums, though the song's set-up is still very simple.
35	* AnonymousBand: The band played with this early on. Despite their faces and voices being prominent in the promotional materials of their songs, and the fact they even did live performances as part of the band, neither Dallon Weekes nor Ryan Seaman advertised nor even acknowledged the project ([[ImplausibleDeniability and would deny any association should they be pressed about it]]), and the project itself never fully attached their names. The duo have stated that this is because they wanted the music to speak for itself and didn't want to coast off fans from their previous projects, so when audiences showed up to live performances, they'd go in not knowing who to expect. [[SubvertedTrope This was been abandoned ever since they got signed onto a proper label]], and now both Dallon and Ryan are fully open about this project.
36	* ArcWords: "We invite you to follow along..." appears throughout the band's lore, from the intro of the ''1981 EP'' to visual captions in the end of music videos, most often associated with a mysterious group known as The Tellexx Foundation.
37	* BilingualBonus: Many of the bogus "Tellexx International" credits feature statements in Icelandic. The one included in the music video for "Social Climb" reads as follows:
38	-->"Tellexx International [[BlatantLies cares about the well-being of our employees]]. [[ArcWords We invite you to follow along]], to our state of the art improvement facility, as this mandatory watch will leave you refreshed and once again confident in the shared vision of our management. Tellexx International: Time is on our side."
39	* BookEnds: On physical versions of the ''Razzmatazz'' album, the second and second-to-last songs are spoken-word narrations by the Tellexx Foundation, welcoming and bidding farewell to [[BreakingTheFourthWall you, the listener]], in partaking in their [[TimeTravel "Temporal Arts" program]].
40	* CallBack:
41	** In several scenes during the "Social Climb" video, the socialite cult is seen drinking a vibrantly green drink believed to be absinthe, which would be a nod to their song "Absinthe."
42	** "INFATUATION" has the line "what a drag to drag you down into infatuation", which is an intentional soundalike of "before I drag you down" from "Blood Magic".
43	** "[=iDIOTS of Oz=]" frequently references the line "money always talks / to the idiot savants" from "Choke".
44	* CapsLock: How the band stylizes its name, its two albums ''RAZZMATAZZ'' and ''GLOOM DIVISION'', and all of the songs on the latter.
45	* ChristmasEpisode: The band released the ''Christmas Drag'' EP in 2019, which is partially an UpdatedRerelease of a single of the same name from Dallon's previous project, Music/TheBrobecks. Like in many of Dallon Weekes' Christmas songs, the holiday is approached with sincere reverence and [[CrappyHolidays depression]].
46	* TheComicallySerious: During videos, both members love playing up a [[TheStoic stoic]] image and rarely deviate from it [[ColdHam no matter how energetically they otherwise perform]] or [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight what kind of madness plays on around them]].
47	* ConceptAlbum: [=IDKHow=] as a whole is mostly a Concept ''Band'', with the theme being that of "a band out of time" that was active during The80s and never got their big break, but were closely tied with sinister mysteries surrounding [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness the ominous Tellexx corporation]]. Mild hints of their efforts and motivations are peppered throughout the ''1981 Extended Play'' and ''Razzmatazz'', but it wasn't until ''Gloom Division'' that music became more centrally focused on the lore, with Dallon describing the album as following ideas surrounding the namesake sector of Tellexx, who are even more ShroudedInMyth but dabble in the occult in service of preserving the company's interests.
48	* CoverVersion: The ''Christmas Drag'' EP features a cover of "Merry Christmas Everybody" by {{Music/Slade}}.
49	* {{Cult}}:
50	** The video for "Social Climb" is framed as a recruitment video by The Tellexx Foundation called ''Thought Reform & the Corporate Guide To Social Reconditioning'', and is highly evocative of an cult full of deadpan socialites performing rituals from seances to drinking unnaturally fluorescent absinthe.
51	** ''Razzmatazz'' more explicitly frames [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness The Tellexx Foundation]] with the distinct air of one in the spoken word intermissions "Indoctrination" and "Tomorrow People."
52	--->[[ArcWords We invite you to follow along]] as we work together to decode and exploit the secrets of time and space for our benefit. [[TheHandler Each volunteer pairing will be assigned a chaperone. Our white shadows will oversee your progress]]. Be sure that our company's interests maintain the highest priority throughout your journey. Please enjoy your experience, and remember: Time is on our side.
53	* EasterEgg: That phone number at the end of the "Social Climb" video they're inviting you to follow along with? Give it a call, and you'll end up hearing some [[WordSaladHorror odd and disjointed phrases alternating between voices]].[[labelnote:For those curious...]]It's a number to test out [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_sentences Harvard sentences]] which [[https://www.altpress.com/features/dallon-weekes-idkhow-social-climb-video-interview/ Dallon once stumbled upon and decided to include in the video.]] [[/labelnote]]
54	%%* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Both Dallon and Ryan have pulled this off at times, although Ryan less so since he dyed his hair blue. Dallon, on the other hand, really pulls this out in the Q&A videos about "Modern Day Cain."
55	* FollowTheBouncingBall: The standard for their lyric videos. First used for "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4Bf8Qhe59U Bleed Magic]]," then continued for most songs from ''Razzmatazz'', both of which are employed [[{{Retreaux}} in the style of old singalong tapes.]]
56	* FunWithSubtitles: A common staple in their lyric videos:
57	** The initial lyric video to "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvJjmWTg7Qo Choke]]," several purely instrumental segments continue broadcasting text, such as "Are you still reading this?" "You are!?" and "Neat!"
58	** The lyric video to "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4Bf8Qhe59U Bleed Magic]]" garnishes a few subtitles based on sound effects, including [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud (bloop bloop bloop bloop bloop)]], (snappy guitar solo), and (extra fun [[Music/GeorgeGershwin gershwin]] piano bit).
59	** In the video to "Lights Go Down," the sax solo is accompanied with "(Saxophone Solo)," followed by text reading "We were told not to have a sax solo here. We did it anyway. Eff the rules." The video also ends with "Thank you for listening. And for reading."
60	** The song "GLOOMTOWN BRATS" features Dallon singing the lyric "Blue-blooded fantasy / Apocalypse, ''vanity''," but the lyric video reads "Apocalypse, ''of vanities''," while simultaneously putting a subtitle explaining "I sang the wrong lyric here, but it felt good, so I kept it."
61	* GoodAngelBadAngel: Played with; the single artwork for "New Invention" featuring Dallon being seduced by two shoulder ''devils'', tying in with the song's themes of being pulled towards [[MortonsFork bad dreams and even worse life decisions]] and being helpless to escape from them.
62	* TheHedonist: Satirized with "Do It All The Time," sung from the perspective of a [[SpoiledBrat trust fund brat]] living his easy life singing about [[ClicheStorm cliché'd lyrical topics]][[invoked]] which he knows are harmful ([[CardCarryingVillain celebrating "taking your girl" and "selling lies"]]) solely for his own enjoyment.
63	* HorribleHollywood: The lyrics of "[[MurderBallad Choke]]" are implied to be directed towards another person, [[https://www.altpress.com/features/i_dont_know_how_but_they_found_me_choke_song/ but Dallon claims]] they were written as he was sorting out his feelings of disenchantment from living in Los Angeles. Some of the lyrics come off as bitter swipes at the sycophantic and superficial nature of the place.
64	-->''You get everything you want''\
65	[[invoked]]''And [[MoneyDearBoy money always talks]]''\
66	''To the idiot savants''
67	* InactionVideo: [[ChristmasEpisode "Merry Christmas Everybody" and "Christmas Drag"]] are [[TheOner oners]] consisting of Dallon singing in place as people put up Christmas decorations around him or ''on'' him.
68	* InconsistentSpelling: The recurring [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness Tellexx Corporation]] was first introduced spelled as "Telex." Given the strange and ambiguous nature of the group, it's unclear if these are accepted alternate spellings or an authorial {{retcon}}.
69	* LeadBassist: Dallon founded the project, writes the songs, and sings in addition to playing bass. Ryan was brought on to the project during the initial recording process because Dallon needed someone to play drums.
70	* LyricalDissonance:
71	** "Choke" is an upbeat, cheerful-sounding song about watching someone die and enjoying it.
72	** In the likewise up-tempo "Bleed Magic," the singer boasts about taking advantage of a person he's invited on a date.
73	--->''I wanna take you home\
74	A night out on the town\
75	Say that you're pretty so you stand up, stand up\
76	Before I drag you down\
77	Crawling up your skin\
78	Potions pills and medicines\
79	To drain you and bleed your magic out''
80	** "SIXFT" is a beautiful ballad directed towards the singer's manipulative ex, with lyrics that threaten to kill them if they mess with the singer again.
81	** "From the Gallows" is a nifty [[SubvertedTrope subversion]]. Structurally, it's a SillyLoveSong in the form of a low-key, 30s-style jazz ballad, but while the lyrics are very morbid and self-destructive, [[SincerityMode the loving sentiment behind them is played as sincere]], if obviously dark.
82	--->''You're beautiful and evil, too\
83	Sinister and vile\
84	For you, I'd die, or kill myself\
85	[[NightmareFetishist Whichever makes you smile]]''
86	* MurderBallad: "Choke," which when taken at its most literal is about the narrator's gleeful fantasy of watching someone suffer horribly and die through... well, [[TitleDrop choking]].
87	* MysteriousWatcher: A mysterious, skeleton-looking character in white is featured in several videos, most prominently in the background of "Nobody Likes The Opening Band," but also in [[FreezeFrameBonus freeze-frame shots]] in "Do It All The Time," "Choke" and "Social Climb." Dallon has acknowledged it as [[https://twitter.com/DallonWeekes/status/978409638222643200 a "White Shadow"]] [[https://twitter.com/DallonWeekes/status/1051142238858698753 constantly following them]], and ''Razzmatazz'' revealed them to be [[TheHandler "chaperones"]] employed by the Tellexx Foundation, but what exactly they ''are'' and are capable of remains unknown.
88	* ObsessionSong: The song "Mx. Sinister" certainly qualifies, with its lyrics speaking of following someone home and cutting them open to make the person's heart beat for them, all while repeatedly insisting they're "[[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial not the sinister type]]".
89	* TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness: The Tellexx Foundation is a recurring entity within the band's lore, and pops up sporadically and in various forms within the timeline -- the "Social Climb" video claims that "Tellexx Foundation International" dissolved by the late 70s, while the "Leave Me Alone" video featuring "Tellexx" lab footage has an unknown date, but features a slightly cleaner, more modern quality. ''Razzmatazz'' explains that they jump around in various fields of work, including corporate propaganda, music-making machines, national defense, aviation, oceanics... [[BreadMilkEggsSquick dimensional modulation, temporal arts, and thought reform]].
90	* OverlyLongName: Their band name can be quite unwieldy, hence the trend of shortening it to [=IDKHow=] for convenience. Dallon and Ryan are well aware of how unusually long their band name is, and often {{Lampshade\|Hanging}} it when introducing themselves.
91	-->'''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D83Wb04t7O4&t=326s Dallon:]]''' The name of this band is Music/IDontKnowHowButTheyFoundMe. And if that's too long for you... You're probably not wrong... But we don't really care.
92	* PrecisionFStrike: By accident. During one live performance of "Choke," the lyric "break your pretty face" instead came out as "break your ''fucking'' face" as Dallon was having a bad day. It has since become a widely accepted alternate version of the lyrics.
93	* {{Retreaux}}: A huge part of [=IDKHow=]'s imagery, from the artwork to the videos, is evoking obscure [[TheSixties 60s]]/[[TheSeventies 70s]]/[[TheEighties 80s]] media. ''1981 Extended Play'' is framed in its introduction as a children's read-along cassette tape, complete with a little chime indicating to "turn the page" that shows up in the middle of "Bleed Magic," appropriately halfway in the EP.
94	* {{Sampling}}:
95	** The single edition of "Modern Day Cain" ends on a looping bossa nova preset from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G89vIy8Guj4 a 1970 keyboard]] (more famously known from "Chirp," by Music/{{C418}}).
96	** The physical edition of ''1981 Extended Play'' contains a hidden interlude which samples from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNPMYRlvySY this]] 70s-era PSA (with narration by Creator/DonaldPleasence).
97	* SelfDeprecation: "Nobody Likes The Opening Band" was written from the duo's personal experiences and anxieties from playing opening acts, with the song essentially being [[OurProductSucks a tongue-in-cheek plea for fans to respond well to their unfamiliar project]]. The music video dials this to a hilariously confusing extreme, where once Ryan finishes his part of the performance near the end, he takes a seat in the crowd... and when the song finishes, the audience starts booing and throwing things at Dallon, Ryan included.
98	-->''Take pity on the opening bands\
99	'Cause no one came to see them, except their mom and dad\
100	But if you lend an ear\
101	And give them just one little chance\
102	You may just like the–\
103	You may just like the–\
104	You may just like the opening band''
105	* SexySaxMan: The song "Razzmatazz" features two booming sax solos, and its video accentuates them by featuring one of these guys performing it[[note]]The actor is Tremayne Davis, while the solos themselves were provided by Grammy-nominated saxophonist Matt Appleton[[/note]].
106	* ShoutOut:
107	** The name of the band comes from a line in ''Film/BackToTheFuture1'', appropriate for an 80s-inspired band whose lore is drenched in TimeTravel shenanigans.
108	** The first verse of "Lights Go Down" contains the lyric "Not every hollow is sleepy as this one, but heads will roll the same," alluding to ''Literature/TheLegendOfSleepyHollow''.
109	* SpiritualAntithesis: ''1981 Extended Play'' could be viewed as this to [[Music/PanicAtTheDisco Panic! at the Disco's]] ''Death of a Bachelor.'' Both albums, products of the late 2010's alternative rock scene, provide commentary on celebrity and fame, and use Los Angeles as a representation of the culture surrounding them. But while the ''Bachelor'' tracks "Victorious" and "Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time" celebrate a partying, free living lifestyle, and "Emperor's New Clothes" is a song about the narrator taking what he wants without thinking of others ("If it feels good, tastes good, it must be mine"), these attitudes are mocked relentlessly on ''Extended Play'' with "Do It All the Time." ''Bachelor'' also contains the track "LA Devotee," described as "a love letter to Los Angeles," while ''Extended Play'' has "Social Climb" and "Choke," both of which contain some rather biting remarks on the city ("Come break some hearts now, tear them out/File in for amusements with the crowd," "Oh, you clever little things/The sycophantic teens," "And money always talks/To the idiot savants"). On another note, the aforementioned ''Bachelor'' tracks reference alcohol in the context of celebrating with champagne, getting blackout drunk at a party, and "vintage wine" related to a luxurious lifestyle, while ''Extended Play'''s track "Absinthe" associates alcohol with drinking to horrifying excess ("I hear voices/I see visions/These spirits/Are your prison").
110	* StalkerWithACrush: "Mx. Sinister" is from the point of view of one of these, and despite that marginally sympathetic POV, it's clear that the stalker is disturbingly creepy, and the song's atmosphere is PlayedForHorror.
111	-->Oh you never seem to notice\
112	that my heart beats for you\
113	[[{{Yandere}} so I'll open you up and make yours beat for me too]]\
114	And I'll get you yet\
115	I've got to make you mine\
116	just know [[BlatantLies I'm not the sinister type]]
117	* TheStoic: In many music video appearances, Ryan is played as the more deadpan of the two, as Dallon has [[ColdHam his own form of expressive seriousness]]). [[InactionVideo If he's doing anything in the video at all]], he'll do it with a completely expressionless face.
118	* StudioChatter: "Bleed Magic," more prominently than other songs off the ''1981 EP'', features some recording chatter in the background, including a voice asking "Try it again?" Right before the first chorus hits, Dallon can be heard accidentally knocking over a glass and going "Oops."
119	* TakeThat:
120	** "Do It All The Time" is a sarcastic number about individuals who follow (and endorse through their music) the mindset of doing whatever they want without paying mind to the consequences, justifying themselves by saying that... [[TitleDrop well]], [[SelfFulfillingProphecy they do it all the time.]]
121	-->''We're taking over the world\
122	One kiss at a time\
123	And then I'm taking your girl\
124	And I'm making her mine''
125	* TimeTravel:
126	** Strongly implied with the video for "Leave Me Alone," introduced as a "TELLEXX TEMPORAL MODULATION" video for corporate investors, featuring Dallon and Ryan being intensely monitored while stuck in some kind of quarantine bubble, [[spoiler:ending with Dallon [[DisappearsIntoLight zapped away in a neon light]].]]
127	** The FramingDevice of ''Razzmatazz'' expands on this: the narration of "Indoctrination" addresses [[BreakingTheFourthWall you, the subject]], as taking part in their "Temporal Arts" program to observe, decode, and exploit "the secrets of time and space."
128	* TheUnsmile: The ending of the video for [[CrappyHolidays "Christmas Drag"]] ends with Dallon giving the most insincere smile he can muster towards the camera.
129	* UpdatedRerelease: The band has re-recorded a few songs Dallon originally recorded as Music/TheBrobecks: "Christmas Drag" (released as a single in 2006) and "Clusterhug" (released on the ''Quiet Title EP'' in 2012).

Context Music / IDontKnowHowButTheyFoundMe