Raucous UK post-punk group Idles shared their thrashing sophomore record Joy As An Act Of Resistance in 2018. Since then, the group has maintained boisterous energy with a lively Tiny Desk performance and a gruesomely animated video for “Never Fight A Man With A Perm.” Last year, the group teased a return with a pair of singles, “I Dream Guillotine” and “Mercedes Marxist.” But, Idles shelved new music for the remainder of the year. Now, the group is ushering a new era with the spirited single “Mr. Motivator.”
The video consists of fan-submitted clips of their home workout routines. Some are fun, like a man dressed to mimic Boris Johnson. Other routines are more creepy, like a fan doing jumping jacks behind his son while sporting a full Donnie Darko rabbit suit. Both the video and the song’s title are a nod to a ’90s TV fitness coach named Mr. Motivator. The TV instructor is known for his enthusiastic motivational lines and colorful unitards.
Alongside the song’s release, Idles lead vocalist Joe Talbot said the song aims to encourage fans to get through these tough times with dance: “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.”
Watch the “Mr. Motivator” video above.
