Idles Nab Deep-Faked Chris Martin For New Music Video

British post-punk outfit Idles will release their new album, Tangk, tomorrow (16 February), but they weren’t going to drop the album without one last surprise.

Overnight, Idles shared their latest music video for slow-burning single Grace, in which they re-created Coldplay’s unforgettable Yellow music video – which sees singer Chris Martin walking on a beach at night time until the sun comes up singing the lyrics – with a deep-faked Chris Martin singing Grace on that same beach.

The music video was created with Martin’s permission and AI. According to Idles frontman Joe Talbot, the idea for the video came to him in a dream. When he asked Martin for permission to revive Coldplay’s imagery, the Viva La Vida singer didn’t just grant permission for the project; he helped train the AI software to make his appearance more realistic.

While the clip looks realistic, director Jonathan Irwin blurs Martin’s appearance, lending an extra uncanny feeling to the unusual video.

You can watch the music video below.

Tangk is Idles’ fifth album and was produced by frequent Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich, as well as the band’s Mark Bowen and Kenny Beats (Denzel Curry, Vince Staples, Benee) – the latter pair also produced the group’s 2021 album, Crawler.

The album’s release was preceded by the electrifying singles Dancer (featuring LCD Soundsystem), Gift Horse and Grace.

In a statement about the album, Talbot said, “TANGK. I needed love. So I made it. I gave love out to the world, and it feels like magic. This is our album of gratitude and power. All love songs. All is love.”

On Grace, he added, “The song came from nowhere and everything. It was a breath and a call to be held. The only words or singing that came from our sessions with Nigel and I needed it, truly. All is love.”

You can pre-order/pre-save Tangk here.

In a live review of Idles at Melbourne’s Festival Hall last July, The Music’s Joe Dolan stated, “The energy provided by the Bristol quintet is unparalleled and utterly joyous. They are masters of chaotic positivity - leading the charge for love and acceptance in a genre often maligned by toxic fandoms and general public misunderstandings.”