Ider’s Megan Markwick and Lily Somerville did not go to the Brit school. And yet this duo have produced a debut album full of world-class, homegrown pop. No vast committees of co-writers appear on these credits: this is a record in which two twentysomething women nail the millennial experience with sensitivity and sass, though they do have the added production nous of Rodaidh McDonald (the xx, Sampha) and MyRiot (London Grammar).
These 11 songs ping confidently around the post-genre electro-pop landscape. Throughout, R&B dynamics and folk harmonies are Ider’s two most consistent reference points. A bit like First Aid Kit, Markwick and Somerville frequently merge themselves into a composite third voice – that’s “Ider”. And while Let’s Eat Grandma are obvious fellow travellers, the duo’s songs tackle the big spaces head-on, unafraid of going for the swooping drama and earworm melodies of their labelmates, Chvrches.
Naturally, pillow talk and heartbreak feature heavily; less usually, Busy Being a Rockstar nails an absent father with eye-rolling exasperation. Best of all, there are widescreen commentaries on generational anxiety and the troublesome business of adulting on songs such as Saddest Generation (about depression) and the superlative and wise You’ve Got Your Whole Life Ahead of You Baby.