Idles “visualise monotony hell” in bizarre ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ video

Idles have shared the official video for their track ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ – watch below.

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The song appears on the Bristol punk band’s fourth studio album ‘Crawler’, which was released last November.

Arriving today (August 4), the new visuals for the cut were directed by Charlotte Gosch and Idles guitarist Lee Kiernan.

The clip follows a pair of kids who come across a bizarre, ritualistic gathering in the desert. We see a group of mysterious people donning masks and all-black costumes as they pass around pink rocks in a choreographed fashion.

Towards the end, the children end up being surrounded by the figures while the unusual act continues to unfold around them.

“The initial idea of the video was to try and visualise the monotony hell of having to work to survive and how the ‘machine’ eventually engulfs you and strips you of your freedoms,” Gosch and Kiernan explained in a joint statement.

“But we wanted to achieve this in a metaphorical way that kept the meaning as open as possible. So it becomes rather a visual representation that can be read in many different ways.”

As for the process of bringing the idea to life, they said: “The process of making the video was very fulfilling for the both of us as we were able to physically create what we were imagining. Both the masks and shapes were handmade and painted by ourselves and friends.

“Working with our DOP Rob French we were also able to realise the long shots of each verse and the opening scene of the dancers. We both love the exhaustive and immediate feeling that a long shot can convey, like in Gus Van Sant’s Gerry, which we referenced quite literally.”

Meanwhile, Idles are scheduled to appear at Boardmasters in Cornwall and All Points East in London this month. They’ll then embark on a North American headline tour before hitting the road in New Zealand and Australia.

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Written by NME | Music News