Idles began to reveal the future of the band live with “Levitator”, an unreleased song that represents the first real taste of the material destined for their sixth studio album, expected in 2027. After the release of “Tangk” in 2024 and the subsequent work on the soundtrack of the film “Caught Stealing” by Darren Aronofsky, the Bristol group seems ready to inaugurate a new creative phase.
“Levitator” debuted on May 27 and 28 at the Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City and has since become the band's regular concert opener, also appearing in sets at festivals such as Primavera Sound, NorthSide and Pinkpop. The song develops starting from an essential and pressing riff, on which Joe Talbot's voice initially proceeds controlled before leaving room for a sonic explosion that takes the Idles back towards more abrasive and direct territories. An approach that recalls the urgency and fury of their debut “Brutalism”, the album that in 2017 established them among the protagonists of the new British post-punk scene.
The characteristics of the piece seem to confirm the recent statements of guitarist Mark Bowen, who had described the next album as the most energetic and exciting work ever made by the group. According to Bowen, the band chose to recover a more immediate and instinctive method of composition, based on the direct interaction between the five musicians in the rehearsal room, far from overly elaborate constructions. At the moment Idles have not announced a release date for “Levitator”, but the song seems destined to remain permanently in the summer concert lineup, accompanying the approach to what promises to be a return to the band's most ferocious and visceral roots.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
