EQUATE Meets iDKHOW
"As far as separating yourself from your art, I don't really have a desire to do that. I feel like the artist should walk hand in hand with whatever they create."
After much anticipation, I DONT KNOW HOW THEY FOUND ME (iDKHOW) unveil their debut album ‘Razzmatazz’. Marrying pop rock with new wave indie electronica, the dazzling duo unveil a collection of songs that perfectly capture their essence of mystery whilst exploding with alt-rock energy. You may know frontman Dallon Weekes from the highly acclaimed band Panic! At the Disco, which saw him touring around the world and collecting Gold and Platinum plaques for his songwriting on ‘Too Weird To Live, Too Rare to Die!’. Rumours circulated around the formation of iDKHOW, and after denying its existence for many months, the duo debuted their new venture at a small show in Los Angeles. Ever since, they’ve received countless praise from tastemakers, racked up over 100 million Spotify streams, plus gained the #1 spot on the Billboard’s Heatseekers chart for their 1981 Extended Play EP. ‘Razzmatazz’ is the sizzling next chapter, in iDKHOW’s ever intriguing storyline. We caught up with Dallon for a Q&A, talking the album, inspirations and their plans for the future.
Read the feature below…
Words and interview by Elle Watson
EQ: Hey guys! Tell us a little about yourself.. What makes you tick?
i: Curiosity mostly. I know it killed the cat, but I’ve always been more of a dog person.
EQ: How do you and Ryan compliment each other, musically and personally?
i: Ryan is a professional through and through. He wants to work and serve the song. I feel like we’ve always shared that in common.
EQ: A huge congrats to you both on ‘Razzmatazz’! It’s been a long time coming.. What’s the overriding inspiration for the album?
i: Thank you! The inspiration for the record was collected over the course of the last ten years of my life. Travelling the world, missing my family, etc.
EQ: What’s the significance of the name iDKHOW? How did it come to fruition and is there a story behind it?
i: It’s a line from an old favourite movie, but in our early days of performing in secret, it really seemed to serve our whole modus operandi.
“Everyone is a three minute google away from finding out everything about you, so we wanted to stand apart from that.“
- iDKHOW
EQ: You have a penchant for mystery. Is that reflective of your personalities in real life? How do you separate the artist from who you are?
i: Mystery is hard to come by in a modern music landscape. Everyone is a three minute google away from finding out everything about you, so we wanted to stand apart from that. As far as separating yourself from your art, I don’t really have a desire to do that. I feel like the artist should walk hand in hand with whatever they create.
EQ: Do you have any other outlets outside of music? Creative or otherwise?
i: I’ve enjoyed drawing ever since I was a kid. I don’t have much time for it, but whenever I do, I like to sit and draw, or read comics and graphic novels.
EQ: …And if it wasn’t music what would you be doing? What would be the alternative?
i: I would most likely have ended up in a padded room a long time ago.
EQ: Dallon, you’ve previously mentioned that this project is a far better environment for you compared to your previous band. Despite this, did you find it hard to let go initially? What was the turning point?
i: It was definitely scary. It’s where the line “the devil that you know…” came from in ‘Leave Me Alone’. We tend to fear the unknown. Luckily for me the unknown ended up working out for the better.
EQ: Which track on the album are you most proud of? We understand that’s like asking you to choose your favourite child….
i: I would have to say that ‘Kiss Goodnight’ and ‘Razzmatazz’ are favourites.
EQ: What’s next for you? Are there any EQUATE exclusives you could let us in on?
i: We all seem to be in the same boat, so waiting to see what’s next I suppose. In the meantime, I’ll keep collecting ideas and hope for the best for all of us.
Watch the official video for ‘Leave Me Alone’ below
YouTube/I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME
Stream ‘Razzmatazz’ HERE
Follow iDKHOW on socials
Instagram: @idkhow
Twitter: @idkhow