Stockholm Syndrome music video out now! Watch it here: https://t.co/fMttFuWqAl pic.twitter.com/56n24RlM7l

— I D L E S (@idlesband) August 3, 2022

The Jodorowsky-esque video follows two kids who stumble upon an odd, ceremonial gathering in the desert where a group of strange-looking masked men and women pass pink rocks to each other in a ritualistic fashion. The kids run toward the bizarre sight and eventually find themselves surrounded as the figures keep passing the rocks to each other. You can watch the video below.

In a statement reported by NME, Kiernan and Gosch explain, “The initial idea of the video was to try and visualise the monotony hell of having to work to survive and how the ‘machine’ eventually engulfs you and strips you of your freedoms,”

The two continued, “But we wanted to achieve this in a metaphorical way that kept the meaning as open as possible. So, it becomes rather a visual representation that can be read in many different ways.”

Talking about making and realising their vision, the creative duo said, “The process of making the video was very fulfilling for the both of us as we were able to physically create what we were imagining. Both the masks and shapes were handmade and painted by ourselves and friends”.

The two finished, “Working with our DOP Rob French we were also able to realise the long shots of each verse and the opening scene of the dancers. We both love the exhaustive and immediate feeling that a long shot can convey, like in Gus Van Sant’s Gerry, which we referenced quite literally.”

Crawler was a sea change for the band garnering rave reviews. Known for their confrontational and direct songwriting, the album saw them move to a more poetic and abstract style.

When asked about the change, frontman Joe Talbot told NME, “I was distracted by my ego and my fears. The residual feelings came as anger. I bullshitted my way through enough, but it’s now time to challenge myself, set things straight and start again. I took responsibility for my accountability and learned a lot from that. I’m a lot more calm and I don’t get anxious. I was sober for two years. It all just came together.”

Good evening, Sydney! Down to the last 40 tickets for @Enmore_Theatre on 2 November. Tix for all dates here ⬇️https://t.co/aWVW7Wgg5O pic.twitter.com/LdsmB7TA5v — I D L E S (@idlesband) August 4, 2022

Idles are currently on tour and have a few stops across the UK this month; playing at Broadmasters in Cornwall (tickets are available here), at All Points East in London (tickets are available here), and at Connect Festival in Edinburgh (tickets are available here), all dates are below.

12/08/22 – Boardmasters – Newquay
19/08 – All Points East – London
26/08 – Connect Festival – Edinburgh

The non-profit organisation ESNS was founded in 2003 as a means of stimulating the circulation of European music across the continent and beyond, gathering data on artists gaining momentum and organising the annual Eurosonic Noorderslag festival in Groningen (Netherlands) to feature only European bands and artists.

.@YardActBand most booked upcoming European act of this summer
The ESNS Exchange results provide an overview of the most promising European emerging acts of the moment.

Read all about it at https://t.co/Sk2vvOseSG

— ESNS (@esns) June 15, 2022

Yard Act have been on a fearsome tear since they emerged in January 2021 with their debut EP Dark Days. They immediately struck a chord with me when I first tuned in, an exciting blend of Arctic Monkeys and The Streets, lead singer and lyricist James Smith has a knack for instantly driving an engaging and thought provoking narrative with his erudite northern charisma and flow. Lamenting the woes of social injustice, capitalism, and gentrification with dark humour and cynical storytelling, they manage to remain challenging without ever sounding preachy. A very difficult feat to summit, and likely why so many live agents and promoters are gagging at the bit to book them at the moment.

Their debut album The Overload came out on Island Records on the 21st of January this year and debuted at No.2 on the UK Albums Chart, eventually going to No.1 in Scotland and helping the band to get shortlisted for a much desired place on the BBC’s Sound Of 2022 poll. It’s no surprise really with all the aforementioned originality and flair, they seem to be having an underground cultural impact, alongside the likes of Wet Leg, that not many UK bands have managed in a while. With a headline performance on the Left Field stage at Glastonbury booked for next weekend, it seems there’s no end in sight to their momentum at the moment and we here at Mxdwn UK wish them well. It’s nice to see an indie band making a proper splash again. You can check out their lead single “The Overload” here: