Manchester based Mardy, made up of Connor and Lily (and who could forget Reggie the pigeon?) have taken the scene by storm in just a few short months. Both accomplished musicians in their own right, they’ve come together to create something truly special, and the amount of fun they’ve had with it shines through. Formed in August of this year, they’ve already been recognised by music publications and radio stations across the globe for their debut double-single ‘IDK, Tell Me’ made up of two sister tracks each capturing distinct points in time during a prolonged, complicated break up.

As the first track of the pair, ‘IDK’ launches us into the headspace immediately, the opening bars creating an almost dizzy, daydream like feeling. This track is all about the exhausted confusion of that phase towards the end of a relationship where something’s not right and has to change, but the next steps are unclear. There’s an uncertainty hanging over the song, the feeling of being at a precipice coming through in the chord progressions and harmonies. But they’re not afraid to be playful with melodies, which brings a joy to the listening experience.

The grit-pop duo have firmly established their sound with this debut, Lily’s voice layered with haunting backing vocals paired with fuzzy guitar riffs make the song grounded and relatable. It cements what the emerging genre is all about, the best of raw indie pop vocals with an almost relaxed gritty realism built by layers of sound.

The music video dropped the day after the single to work in tandem at painting a narrative that resonates with so many. The nostalgic themes in the video – games consoles, notebooks, card collections, a CRT monitor – are all reminiscent of being young and still figuring everything out; a perfect companion to the line ‘I don’t know’ repeating again and again. No matter what age you are, feeling confused and unsure of what to do will always bring us back to being a kid, when everything felt huge and unknowable.

All in all ‘IDK’ perfectly captures a time, space and feeling which is relatable to so many of us. It’s a solid first step for Mardy and lays the groundwork for what’s to come. They’ve promised livelier songs in the future but this was a great introduction to their story-telling prowess that can’t help but leave you excited and hungry for what comes next!

Words by Luc Cockburn