Today Bristol band, Idles have announced the release of the official video for their song, “Stockholm Syndrome”, via their Twitter feed. The song is the sixth track off Crawler, the punk band’s fourth studio album, which came out in November last year. Landing today on their YouTube channel, the video was directed by Idles guitarist Lee Kiernan and Charlotte Gosch.
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
