Daily Discovery is a feature that highlights a new or recently discovered artist who we’re excited about. See the rest of our Daily Discoveries here.
IDER only emerged this past April, but since then they've created impressive buzz. Their first single, "Sorry," was on Soundcloud for just a few minutes before the London duo was contacted by BBC Radio 1. A few days later, the song was featured on Phil Taggart's show as one of his Future Firsts. "We released 'Sorry' with no plan and were just expecting tumbleweeds. It was a massive shock hearing from Radio 1," they explain.
Since then, they've maintained this strong momentum with two additional tracks, "Pulse," and "King Ruby." "Pulse" builds on the slow-burning, ambient feel of "Sorry," while "King Ruby" shows off their ability for a more up-tempo, jovial pop track.
Somewhere in the middle of "Sorry" and "King Ruby" lies their newest single, "Million." The song features the delicate subtleties of "Sorry," until it blossoms into a full-fledge, irresistible pop chorus. Yet don't let this sweeping, cinematic hook fool you: "Million" packs a dark message. The lyrics center on someone hitting rock bottom and falling apart into, well, a million pieces. It's a narrative that isn't uncommon in music, but IDER tell it with such simplicity and honesty, that their message becomes much more impactful.
"Million" is poised to be their last single of 2016, and it's safe to say they saved the best for last.
You guys work together so well, how did you two link up and start creating music together?
Megan: We became mates at university and started singing and writing together. After we left, I convinced Lily to move to London and live with me and that's when we started IDER.
After "Sorry" dropped, you had almost instant support from BBC Radio 1 which is a huge co-sign. What was that like?
Megan: Yeah that was pretty insane!
Lily: Totally mad. We released 'Sorry' with no plan and were just expecting tumbleweeds. It was a massive shock hearing from Radio 1; their support has been incredible and so exciting.
What is your creative process like while writing new music? Does it blend together organically or does one of you take lead on lyrics while the other handles production?
Lily: Sometimes one of us will have written a riff or some lyrics or something and that creates a starting point. But mostly we sit in a room together and play and chat and write really collaboratively. We live together so it's pretty easy to find the time for that.
Megan: We've been working with a couple of producers (Aidan O'Brien, Dan Holloway) for the past 18 months, both with studio set ups in their bedrooms.
What's the most important thing you want listeners to take from your music?
Lily: That it comes from a real place and it means something. I hope listeners can relate to our music.
Megan: What she said.
What new artists would you love to work with or are particularly excited about?
Megan: They're not new but I'd love to sing harmonies with Ibeyi.
Lily: Glass Animals. They're a new love for me. Also Beyoncé...just in case she reads this and reaches out.
I saw you played a show with Conner Youngblood recently, as well as opened for Tegan and Sara. Will you be touring more in the future? What else is next for you guys?
Both: Yes! They were some great gigs! We will definitely be touring in the future, we're brewing lots of exciting things. At the moment we've got some London shows coming up (Kamio on November 22 for The Great Escape's First Fifty and The Lexington on January 9 with the Line Of Best Fit). We think both are sold out or close to selling out which is wicked!
