Idle Riot’s debut single, “Happy Thoughts,” was actually influenced by… Avoiding some not so happy thoughts. See below:

“Happy thoughts was written shortly after Russia invaded the Ukraine and California was experiencing wildfires. It is a demonstration of our collective passiveness to a lot of the really dark things going on right now, which is ironic given the technology we have available.”

With dreams of just sitting back and ripping some Mario Kart, Idle Riot acknowledges our collective ability to ignore what’s going on in the world and pacify ourselves with some sweet, sweet technology. It’s an omni-relatable sentiment in our increasingly digital existence, but Idle Riot executes it with such surfy brilliance that it really doesn’t seem so bad. Stabby guitars and slacker-esque vocals are the highlight here, bringing to mind elements of The Strokes, Beach Fossils, and FIDLAR.

Check it out below via Soundcloud, on YouTube, and also on Spotify.