Idlewild's self-titled tenth album begins in medias res, with Rod Jones's raspy, wailing guitar hanging in the air until singer Roddy Woomble grabs it with the first of the sizzling, inimitable hooks of "Stay Out of Place." Immediately, you get the feeling that the band is in motion, their storied past not serving as an anchor, but as a driving force. The songs on "Idlewild" offer a series of compelling answers: "Everything comes together in the present moment, doesn't it?" Woomble asks. Idlewild have been many different things. They were a teenage punk band, delivering sawing riffs and spiky choruses, before becoming one of the most compelling mainstream rock groups of their generation. With 2019's "Interview Music," they made sprawling art-pop. On "Idlewild," they welcome each of these past selves into the room. Originally, work on the follow-up to "Interview Music" was supposed to begin immediately after the end of the tour, but the pandemic thwarted those plans. The 20th-anniversary tour of "The Remote Part" in 2022 served as a powerful reminder of where they had been and provided inspiration for what might come next. They crafted songs that celebrated pop hooks, vibrant distortion, and expressive interplay. The songwriting continued at Post Electric Studio in Edinburgh and the Isle of Iona Library before a brief, intense recording session in early 2025. The result is a lean, focused document—10 tracks that flow in and out within 30 minutes. With Jones as engineer and mixer, the production reflects a collaborative, in-house approach. “We looked back at ourselves…and realized we have a ‘sound,’” says Woomble. Idlewild are looking forward, not back, capturing the beauty, nuance, and clarity of three decades of sound and feeling—spontaneous, purposeful, and unmistakable. Tracklisting Stay Out Of Place Like I Had Before It's Not The First Time (I Can't Help) Back Then You Found Me The Mirror Still Make It Happen I Wish I Wrote It Down Permanent Colours Writers of the Present Time End With Sunrise New product