IDLES - 'Mr. Motivator'

The long-awaited return of IDLES is upon us and they’re here to motivate the masses to bash their heads through lockdown with their new single ‘Mr. Motivator’. 

There is very little this five-piece hasn’t done in the two years since the release of their seminal sophomore LP ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’. From Glastonbury to the Ivor Novello for album of the year, this band have been the world over, but the time has arrived to begin the new era of IDLES. 

Fans have long been waiting for even a little scrap of something to hint at the quintet’s third album, ‘Mr. Motivator’ is that snippet and what we are presented with is the band’s most universally accessible track to date as we’re hit with a battering ram of positivity as well as their signature heavy rock sound to help us through these “dark times”. 

What makes IDLES special is their social commentary and taking the world we live in and using that to make their deeply complex and brutally relevant narrative. ‘Mr. Motivator’ doesn’t lose that magic, namedropping everyone from Donald Trump to Delia Smith. Frontman Joe Talbot’s vocals are as good as ever, speaking with humour and sincerity, giving the listener a reason to have the song on a loop. 

‘Mr. Motivator’ is certainly different to a lot of the music that we have seen released during this lockdown period, but no other song offers a different experience with every listen and stands as testament to the talent that IDLES possess as one of the world’s most influential bands. 

Words by Danial Kennedy

---