THE IDIOT KIDS has evolved over the years to become a one-man band in the studio. Every song on their new album ‘INSTANTS’ was written, recorded, mixed and mastered by Jon-Mikal Bartee in their apartment. When it comes to live gigs, the rotation of members handles the must-see performance duties.
Blending, among other things, garage-punk and art-rock, their music feels flamboyantly raw and honest. It’s like being slapped in the face with a velvet glove.
‘BULLDOZER’ – I love an explosive start, and this one bursts out of the gate with an absolutely ferocious riff that obliterates everything in its path – the title of the track is, indeed, well chosen! It’s a punchy sound that’s as tight as a drum – a high-energy ride with a feral vocal. The lyrics set the tone for the album right away – they smile as they bite:
“I’M SICK AND TIRED OF PERFORMATIVE SPIT
YOU’RE CHANGE OVERRULED BY COIN
YOU’RE JUST A HALF-ASS HYPOCRITE
YOU’RE A CULT YOU WOULDN’T JOIN”
‘AGE OF INSTANTS’ – A more restrained, controlled vocal this time means we get to hear a bit more nuance from Jon-Mikal. I liked the lower vocal tone as the guitars fuzzed and growled. The drums almost melt into the track, the snare kind of rounded and dampened – it doesn’t crack, but this gives the groove a liquid quality. This one sounds like it would tear the roof off in a live environment.
‘ZEROES AND ONES’ – The guitar riffs stack up once again, charging forward in a breathtaking onslaught of high-energy chaos. The angular melodies come so thick and fast, it’s hard to get a handle on where the chorus is at first. An unapologetic anthem for non-conformity and self-authorship, this is full-throttle sensory overload!
“I’M NOT YOUR EITHER OR NOT NEITHER NOR
RIGID DICHOTOMY’S A BORE
OR IN OTHER WORDS
I’M NOT THE THIS OR THAT I AM A WINDING PATH
AND I WRITE MY ODYSSEY MY SCORE”
‘OPENING’ – Time for a more workmanlike track, with a roiling, bubbling feel and a simple vocal melody. There’s less venom in the vocals, but the lyrics still bite as they explore vulnerability and self-discovery:
“I’VE BEEN LIVING IN A COMFORTABLE QUESTION
WHERE I MASK MY INHIBITIONS
UNDER LIPSTICK STOCKINGS AND LASHES
WHERE I DANCE IN MY FALSE SKIN”
‘TIME FOR ME’ – The strong undercurrent of sub-bass shook my room when I played this. I must admit, I was playing it loud! There’s an unstoppable momentum to the track, the drums a visceral presence as it blasts along. Jon-Mikal writes, “I started working on ‘TIME FOR ME’ during a period of daily panic, fear and self-hatred. This song is a cry for acceptance.” I loved the contrasts in the vocal, which switches between delicacy and ferocity at will:
“SO I’M TAKIN TIME
TO TAKE SOME TIME FOR ME
AND I’M BURNIN MY BINDS
YOU’RE NEVER GONNA LET ME BE”
‘MR. E’ – A quick change of tempo right at the start sees things move from epic drama to rat-a-tat explosions in a heartbeat. The guitars feel grungy & theatrical at the same time, and there’s yet another undeniable riff with a no-frills chord progression that feels like it’s straight out of an early Nirvana record. I loved the unrestrained urgency of the playing here – the passion saturates the track from the inside out.
‘PASTOR’S KID’ – High octane punk energy in spades is the order of the day here. This feels a bit more poppy, but still has a teeth-baring swagger. With a tempo this speedy, there’s no room for error – luckily, it’s executed with diamond-cut precision. The album’s shortest track wastes no time, delivering a painful tale of the trauma of abuse and rejection.”
“GET AWAY FROM ME PASTOR’S KID
YOU GOT NOTHING YOU GOT NOTHING TO GIVE
YOU REALLY HAVEN’T GOT NO REASON TO LIVE
SO GET AWAY FROM ME PASTOR’S KID”
‘KING TAKER’ – My favourite track so far: a powerhouse rhythm section and guitar riffs so sharp they could slice you in two. Jon-Mikal’s expressive vocals slowly become more and more blistering, to the point that they’re absorbed into the track like another distorted guitar. A masterclass in rhythmic urgency, I challenge you to keep listening to this! There’s a wonderfully surprising bridge, too, that totally flips the energy and introduces another colossal riff. It’s all topped off with an extended outro full of screeching, tearing feedback.
‘THE LETTER’ – The final track changes the pace totally, starting with a slow piano part and a halting, measured beat. It’s spacious and lets the vocal breathe. When the guitars appear, they sound immense – like a raging inferno, surrounding and enveloping the track. The guitars’ wails are matched by vocal cries that eventually subside, and the track slowly fades away.
“THEY MIGHT SAY YOU’RE NOTHING
BUT NOTHING IT MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME
THEY MIGHT SAY YOU’RE NOTHING
BUT NOTHING IT MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME”
The third album from THE IDIOT KIDS, ‘INSTANTS’, is raw and rough in all the right ways, but still drips with emotion. The force of the music is perfectly matched by the power of the lyrics which approach difficult subjects like instant gratification, social and political dichotomy, embracing queerness, anxiety, addiction and suicidal tendencies with a dark, unflinching humour that sometimes softens (but never dulls) the honesty.
On Bandcamp (where the artist gets to capitalize things as they wish), every song title and lyric is in uppercase – a seemingly minor thing that actually acts to emphasize the album’s uncompromising intensity.
Urgent, unfiltered, and immediate, ‘INSTANTS’ is well-named and is a shot of pure punk adrenaline. Full of musicality though, with devastating hooks and countless melodies.
Jon-Mikal says, “The goal for ‘INSTANTS’ from the very beginning was to go with my gut, and try not to overthink anything.” It’s a winning formula, producing an album that feels alive, untamed and utterly unapologetic.
Written by Grubby
