IDLES - Mother

Now here’s one with a bit of feeling behind it. Songs that really show off a genuine emotion – love, sadness, joy, anger, frustration at cocaine-related impotence, etc – aren’t exactly a dime a dozen. Especially so in the world of more experimental rock, where focus is placed more on unique sound or being off-the-wall mad and seeing how many on the nose references to obscure movies you can make in between weird time signatures. 

IDLES are pretty big on the idea of getting a meaningful point across. The Bristol-based band also treat experimentation like the sort of old friend you’d let sleep in your house and occasionally kiss your partner – they have more than a passing familiarity with it, is what I’m saying. What this combines to create is a musically interesting but still powerful method of sending a message that is the very best of both worlds, rather than a bunch of anger adjacent soundbites. While the group have had that accusation tossed at them by critics in recent years – especially for their far more opinion-dividing third album – their first two efforts are whirlwinds of what feels like palpable, reflective sensations. And we all know what sensations a Friday afternoon can bring out in the best of us. 

A genuinely potent mix of indictment of modern British status quo, social fury and a heartfelt love letter, Mother is as much a lesson in how to get your inner thoughts out as much as it is a banger of a track. Let this one seep into your pores and transfer some of this raw, Rock Song of the Week energy into your own endeavours. If nothing else, your paperwork is going to get done the hell out of today.