Their track Dark Matter, written by band member James Haldane, describes a battle with depression, the dark thoughts that can run amok and the struggle to fill the empty space depression creates. Check out the exclusive interview below:
![](https://illustratemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/8A02AAB5-4FD4-418D-A8FD-E7ED7500417C-1024x685.jpg)
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?
THE IDLE SILENCE: We’re all from Somerset in the south west of England. We met through websites that exist to help people like us form bands. It all clicked remarkably quickly.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
THE IDLE SILENCE: None of us can read musical notation, if that means anything. I think we’re mostly self taut aside from a few instrument lessons between us.
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘THE IDLE SILENCE’?
THE IDLE SILENCE: The name comes from a quote from Benjamin Franklin. “As we must account for every idle word, we must account for every idle silence.” We liked the way it sounded and the meaning behind it. I don’t think there was one overall influence for us. James and Phil had been writing songs for years and brought them all to the band at the start. The influences would have been pretty disparate.
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
THE IDLE SILENCE: If anything resonates with listeners, that’s great. It means we’ve got something right. Maybe there’ll be a lyric that is applicable to them or a chord change that they like and that’s great. I think we probably would describe ourselves as alternative rock or indie currently, but we wouldn’t want to limit ourselves to a specific genre. We might make a classic funk album at some point.
![](https://illustratemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/339983054_767520728362528_2617367640120861273_n-1024x1024.jpg)
5. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?
THE IDLE SILENCE:
I think this might be different for each member of the band. I think we like creating most of all. The idea that something can come out of nothing and last forever is very exciting. We love playing live too, but recording is special.
6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
THE IDLE SILENCE:
We’ve definitely got some songs that deal with the ideas of spirituality and political ideologies. I think we all believe that music, and art in general, can be a force for good and social change.
7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
THE IDLE SILENCE:
We all enjoy writing, recording and performing so much that it’s kind of it’s own reward at this stage. We’d all love to jack in our day jobs and be professional musicians, of course, but that’s so rare in the modern world that we just concentrate on enjoying what we’re doing.
8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
THE IDLE SILENCE: As I said, James and Phil had a lot of songs before the band formed which they wrote entirely alone. More recent songs have been more collaborative with the whole band. They usually start with a chord sequence or a guitar riff.
9. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as ROCK?
THE IDLE SILENCE: We were all established and comfortable enough in ourselves when we got together to need that phase. We have never really modelled ourselves on anyone beyond maybe a feel for a particular song. Our influences creep through the songs on their own without us trying. We’ve never covered another artists’ song outside of the practise room.
10. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
THE IDLE SILENCE: I’d like to think that the songs can be interpreted by, and applied to, anyone in their own lives. If the song has a very specific message, as some do, then it should still be open for a personal interpretation. I think that’s what makes a good song.
KEEP IN TOUCH:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | BANDCAMP | YOUTUBE
![](https://illustratemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/TIS_Dark_Matter_Release_Cover-1021x1024.jpg)