London duo IDER are on their way to releasing their second album, shame, this summer, and following on from recent single “Cross Yourself” comes today’s new offering “BORED”. They say:
“‘BORED’ was written in a stream of consciousness when we were feeling particularly pissed off with the music industry; all of the lip service and the many cooks in the kitchen having an opinion for the sake of it. But on a more general level, the song addresses areas of corporate power, false advertising and the wider issue of ‘perfection’ and control. The chorus acts as a relief with the line “won’t you fail with me” – our mantra to embrace failure in order to succeed.”
Underscored by a rattling and rolling drum line, Megan Markwick and Lily Somerville take the opportunity to reel off all the things that’ve been pissing them off, a bit like Bob Dylan in “Subterranean Homesick Blues” or R.E.M. in “It’s The End of the World…”, but with a contemporary pop flair. From the personal (“I’m bored of my phone and the way I use it”), to the political (“I’m bored of the way we think we’re saving the planet”) to the trivial (“I’m bored of the coffee I buy at the station”), and many clearly aimed at music industry professionals they’ve experienced, too (“I’m bored of the wages you stuff up your nose”), they present a breathless list of modern pressure points. Despite the audible sneer in their delivery, they never raise their voices above ice cool, generating more power and presence with each new item. This tension breaks in the free-fall chorus, where they step back for a moment, collect themselves, and simply sing “won’t you fail with me?” Given all the stresses they’ve just laid out, it’s a mightily alluring proposition.
The video for “BORED” is also something of a throwback, as it features the duo strutting imperiously through Walthamstow. They say:
“We made this one-shot video in about 45 minutes with our friend and director Lewis Knaggs who had a ridiculously expensive steady-cam. We did four takes of us running down the road shouting at the camera and then got the bus home. It felt like it summed up the energy of the song pretty well.”
Watch the video below or listen to “BORED” on streaming platforms.
IDER’s new album shame comes out on August 6 (pre-order/save). You can find IDER on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
