By: Annette Hansen
In mid-2017, word of I Dont Know How But They Found Me began with a series of cryptic social media posts. Ultimately, what was revealed was a funky rock duo consisting of former Panic! At The Disco bassist Dallon Weekes and former Falling In Reverse drummer Ryan Seaman. Since then, the band have become one of the most notable up-and-coming acts having released their debut EP 1981 Extended Play via Fearless Records in 2018. With the band’s musical history and ability to make refreshing retro-inspired jams it’s not hard to see why they’re catching on.
While the band was still trying to get the ball rolling as a new act, it was the members’ past notoriety that offered up a few of challenges for the duo. Having pasts with some of the biggest names in rock and pop may have helped iDKHOW get themselves on more listeners radars but it also led them to take a new approach to how they would present the project.
“For a band like us, the biggest challenge can be building credibility for yourself,” explained Weekes. “We wanted to circumvent that as best as we could. Planning in secret and denying that we existed for the first year was our biggest way to sort of jump that hurdle.”
According to Weekes, keeping the project a secret initially gave them an opportunity to separate iDKHOW from their past work and present listeners with something entirely new, “when you come from a band that’s been so successful and known, people will certainly come and give you a chance because of it but just as many people are not going to give you a chance for the exact same reason.”
“We wanted to bypass all that and see if we could get people’s attention just with the music that we were playing,” Weekes said.
Plus, iDKHOW’s tracks are certainly earworms. With 1981 Extended Play, the world was given a set of irresistibly dance-worthy tracks. The band perfectly embraces a more stylized retro sound while still crafting tunes that fit in with a current music line-up. Even on an initial listen, it’s clear these songs give the band an identity entirely its own. For Weekes in particular, being able to put this music out in the world gave him the opportunity to create something true to his own vision.
The band have not only carved an identity for themselves with their music but with the entire aesthetic of iDKHOW. Describing themselves as a lost act of the 70s and 80s, the band have offered up an intriguing concept that gives the project a fun and dramatic tone.
“Musically speaking, we try to keep it modern and don’t really lean too heavily on being revivalists or anything,” Weekes said. “That’s not really something that interests us. But aesthetically speaking, it has been for sure because we sort of wanted to recreate what it felt like to discover bands in that period of time.”
Every detail and every effort that has been put into iDKHOW has made the project feel like a truly unique experience. The band have made themselves to be a stand-out act that’s hard not to get sucked into; Seaman and Weekes are captivating on and off stage. It’s clear there’s a lot to look forward to with the future of iDKHOW.
“We started this thing with zero expectations and no real rules except to just have fun,” Weekes expressed. “I think because we started it with those intentions, everything that’s happened to us has been just incredible. I’m really grateful for everything that’s happened to us so far. All of it has been really validating in a great way.”
