Talk about playing to your audience eh? Embracing the DIY lockdown aesthetic trend, Bristol punk outfit IDLES unveiled on Tuesday the workout routine themed music video for their newest single, the aptly named “Mr. Motivator”. “I intend to go, go, go/Like Conor McGregor with a samurai sword on rollerblades” bellows frontman Joe Talbot over a film collage of fans in dress-up showing off their best living-room dance moves.
NEW SINGLE MR. MOTIVATOR IS OUT NOW
LISTEN/WATCH – https://t.co/6pTd7lYPYj#YOUCANDOIT pic.twitter.com/I0P1RSm0h4
— I D L E S (@idlesband) May 19, 2020
The band hinted at the release last Friday (the 15th) with a parodic video posted to their Instagram captioned “GET PHYSICAL WITH DEV!”. Dressed in a fitness 80s get-up over some similarly retro screen-wipes, IDLES bassist Adam “Dev” Devonshire urged viewers to join him on May 19th for an “exclusive workout class”.
View this post on Instagram
GET PHYSICAL WITH DEV! Tuesday 19 May at 7pm BST / 2 pm EST IDLES.LNK.TO/YOUCANDOIT YOU CAN DO IT! A post shared by I D L E S (@idlesband) on
Talbot said of the new single: “We want to start this journey with a means to not only encapsulate the album’s sentiment, but to encourage our audience to dance like no one is watching and plough through these dark times with a two tonne machete of a song and the most beautiful community of scumbags ever assembled. Let’s go. All is love.” You can listen to the song and buy it via Bandcamp here:
“Mr. Motivator” is the first song made available from IDLES’ third album, which is expected to drop later this year. As far back as September 2019 the band have been ramping up the hype by teasing guest appearances. Aside from Bad Seed member Warren Ellis looking likely to feature, the group have been having a very public love affair with up-and-coming hip hop producer Kenny Beats (who has production credits on this new track).
Funny how all it took was three minutes and 27 seconds for Talbot to become the nation’s new favourite fitness instructor named ‘Joe’. Well, he’s mine at least anyway. Watch the video for “Mr. Motivator” below:
