Idyllic on ‘Side Eye’

Challenging the System, Finding Their Sound and Looking Ahead

Story by Cheyenne Tyler Berry

05/07/2026

For many emerging bands, finding a signature sound can take years of experimentation. For idyllic, however, their last single ‘Side Eye’ feels like the moment everything clicked into place. Blending indie rock melodies with unexpected reggae influences and politically charged lyricism, the track captures a band growing increasingly confident in both their songwriting and identity.

Speaking about the origins of the single, guitarist Ben Rodgers revealed that the song began simply enough,

”The whole song came about with me playing on my acoustic guitar,” Ben explained, “I came up with the melody and took it to the rest of the band, and we all put it together. Niall actually wrote the lyrics for ‘Side Eye’, not myself.”

While the music developed collaboratively, the lyrics reflect a frustration shared by many young creatives trying to balance ambition with everyday life,

“It’s a political viewpoint of where we’re at in our lives and how hard it is to do what you want to do, make music while also trying to live,” Ben says, “It’s also about the rebellion of not wanting to join the nine to five. It’s a bit cliché, but the whole ‘cog in the system’ thing. It’s just our viewpoint of where we were at when writing the song and how hard it is to be a musician these days.”

Vocalist Niall explains the title itself carries a deeper meaning than first meets the eye.

”’Side Eye’ came about because it’s about things we can see in the corner of our perspective that we don’t often talk about, tackling social norms. Everyone knows there are issues at hand, but no one really wants to address them. They’re things sitting in your peripheral vision rather than your central focus.”

Musically, the single is equally ambitious. Rather than drawing from one specific influence, idyllic allows a wide range of genres to shape the song’s sound.

”Honestly, there are loads of different genres and loads of different artists,” Niall states. “There’s loads of reggae inspiration in the middle section, the half time section, which is reggae. There’s definitely a sound correlation to something like early Strokes.”

More importantly, the band wasn't chasing trends.

”This one was more for us. It was something we liked and wanted to tackle, and the way we wanted to portray ourselves.”

The confidence and authenticity extends into the song's structure. Rather than following a conventional formula, ‘Side Eye’ embraces unpredictability while remaining undeniably catchy.

”It’s very energetic and upbeat. There’s a lot of influences in there, the melody is quite catchy, and then we’ve got a middle eight that completely changes the rhythm.”

Ben adds: “It doesn’t have a natural chorus either. I think it really sums up where we are as a band, trying to make catchy pop music while also pushing the boat out creatively.”

Despite the song’s complex ideas, writing the lyrics proved surprisingly straightforward writer of the track Niall stated,

”Sometimes you find lyrics difficult, but this one tended to flow pretty naturally because the subject matter was something so important. I already had a lot to say about it, it was just finding the correct lexical pattern to put it in.”

As for whether ‘Side Eye’ signals the direction of a future record, the answer is a confident yes.

“It’s who we are as a band,” says Ben. “We’ve got another single coming out in six, seven, or eight weeks called ‘Whispers’, and that’s in the same vein. It’s very upbeat, very rock and roll.”

Looking back, the band feel they’ve finally discovered exactly who idyllic are.

Ben continues: “When we first started bringing out music, we were just finding our feet and figuring out what sort of band we wanted to be. But with ‘Check The Meaning’, ‘Side Eye’ and soon ‘Whispers’, we’ve definitely found our feet and found the type of band we want to be.”

Of course, not every interview can stay serious forever. Asked which band member is most likely to give someone an actual side eye in everyday life, the answer came instantly.

“Meg,” they laughed. “Without a doubt.”

The future looks equally busy. Rather than disappearing between releases, idyllic are planning a steady stream of new music over the coming year.

”We’ve got a bit of a 12 month plan,” Ben reveals. “The new single’s coming out, then hopefully by the end of the year we’re going to start an EP campaign. We’re heading back into the studio soon to record four more tracks.”

Alongside the new music comes plenty of opportunities to catch the band live.

Ben states: “It’s just going to be a constant stream of releases for the foreseeable future, with plenty of gigs alongside them, release parties for the singles and then hopefully, maybe in the new year, putting together a little tour. We’d love to play London, Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool and head up to Scotland.”

With ‘Side Eye’, idyllic have done more than release another indie rock single, they’ve drawn a line under their formative years. Confident, politically aware and unafraid to experiment, the band have found their voice. If this latest chapter is anything to go by, it’s just the beginning.