7/10

After breaking through to the wider musical spectrum with their fantastic 2019 debut LP 'Emotional Education', alt-pop duo IDER found themselves riding a wave of praise and success that they had been pursuing for years beforehand. Their distinctly inventive and forward-thinking approach to the sound saw them break away from others in their field, and see them stand as one of the most exciting new names of that year. Now returning to deliver their eagerly-awaited sophomore LP 'shame', the pair are keen to continue on the path they have set up for themselves.

From the start, 'shame' sets itself very much in the same vein as 'Emotional Education'. Venturing down an avenue of smooth and tranquil alt-pop grooves, they seem to have found an exact moment and aesthetic to latch onto within their direction, and are now pushing that as far as it will go. While much of the record does see them copy a fair chunk of the progressive texture of their older material, that isn't all a bad thing as they still look to create a body of work that establishes itself as a singular entity within their catalogue and makes for an enjoyable listen from start to finish.

It may not have that same instant grab-factor that we experienced on their previous full-length, but 'shame' is still very much a positive light throughout. It'll be a long time before anyone else manages to capture what these two have together, and for that we are grateful that we have IDER to fill our appetites.