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Post-punks IDLES have already kicked off their sold-out U.S. tour, and to make every unlucky non-ticket-holder jealous, they’ve just released their thundering new single “Mercedes Marxist.”
Though taken from the sessions for their most recent record, Joy as an Act of Resistance., this latest song feels distant from the more hopeful messages of the band’s acclaimed 2018 record. After ramping up with chugging, distorted bass lines, frontman Joe Talbot declares in his signature gravelly tones, “Forgive my crippled head / Our revolution’s dead.” Despite the power and fury dripping from every word, the song feels like the aural equivalent of a tiger pacing around the trapping pit in which it’s fallen.
Talbot explained on Instagram the dark head-space he found himself in when writing the track:
“Mercedes Marxist” was a strange beast for us, after “Rottweiler,” it was the first song we wrote for Joy as an Act of Resistanc. I was pissed off at what I was and where I was: I was sofa surfing on the weekends and spending the weeks looking after my mum. My life balance was way off and this song reflects just how useless I felt. It was me at my worst and without any buoyancy it became catharsis. It was the last splurge from Brutalism so we omitted it. I like it now.
The outfit are currently working on their third album to follow Brutalism and Joy as an Act of Resistance., as they teased on Twitter this January. The Bristol-based group have a relentless energy, as they’ve also added autumn dates to their U.S. tour, including a show at New York’s Terminal 5.
Listen to “Mercedes Marxist” below, which will be released physically on Aug. 2 as a 7” with the new b-side “I Dream Guillotine.” Further down, check out IDLES’ tour dates, including new stops denoted in bold.
IDLES Tour Dates:
May
08 – Albany, N.Y. @ Jupiter Hall*
10 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Brooklyn Steel* (SOLD OUT)
11 – Washington, D.C. @ Rock & Roll Hotel* (SOLD OUT)
12 – Washington, D.C. @ Rock & Roll Hotel* (SOLD OUT)
14 – Cleveland, Ohio @ Beachland Ballroom* (SOLD OUT)
16 – Kansas City, Mo. @ recordBar* (SOLD OUT)
17 – Dallas, Texas @ The Curtain Club* (SOLD OUT)
18 – Austin, Texas @ Barracuda* (SOLD OUT)
20 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ Valley Bar* (SOLD OUT)
21 – San Diego, Calif. @ Belly Up* (SOLD OUT)
22 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Fonda* (SOLD OUT)
24 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Great American Music Hall* (SOLD OUT)
25 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Great American Music Hall* (SOLD OUT)
27 – Portland, Ore. @ Wonder Ballroom* (SOLD OUT)
28 – Seattle, Wash. @ Neumo’s* (SOLD OUT)
July
29 – Detroit, Mich. @ El Club#
30 – Toronto, Ontario @ Danforth Music Hall#
August
02 – Chicago, Ill. @ Lollapalooza
03 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ First Avenue#
October
07-06, 11-13 – Austin, Texas @ Austin City Limits
07 – San Diego, Calif. @ Observatory North Park^
08 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Wiltern^
10 – San Francisco, Calif. @ The Fillmore^
14 – Washington, D.C. @ 930 Club%
15 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Union Transfer%
16 – Boston, Mass. @ Royale%
17 – New York, N.Y. @ Terminal 5%
(* = w/ Fontaines D.C.)
(# = w/ A Place To Bury Strangers)
(^ = w/ Surfbort)
(% = w/ Preoccupations)