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The album is set for release this Friday, the day before the second iteration of his curated festival, Bludfest, which will feature an ‘Idols’ pop-up with special editions of the record.
Speaking about ‘Idols’ at the Crauford Arms last month, Yungblud told fans, “listen to it first with people, then really listen to it alone - it’s an album about facing yourself”. The record is a 12-track cinematic re-introduction to his music, with depth, vulnerability and a love for rock ‘n’ roll at its core. Promised to be “sonically big”, ‘Idols’ features the London Philharmonic Orchestra with sweeping string lines and soulful harmonies - for fans of ‘Hope For The Underrated Youth (Live Orchestral Version)’, this is for you.
‘Idols’ is a testament to Yungblud’s continued refusal to be dragged down by the music industry; an album for himself and his community. He confessed to fans last month that he “sold himself short” on his previous record, despite it going to number one in the UK, telling Kerrang earlier in 2025 that he began “playing a character”. ‘Idols’ is a reset of control, the result of Dom’s undistracted artistic direction? A nine-minute, six-second album opener with ‘Hello Heaven Hello’, and ‘Ghosts’, a track that ends with a wild three-minute instrumental outro. In an industry slowly demanding artists create 2-minute tracks with TikTok-approved choruses, perhaps this is Yungblud’s latest way to subvert expectations.
Don’t get it wrong, despite what is arguably the biggest sonic change of his career, this is still Yungblud. ‘Zombie’, the third single released in the run-up to the album release day, is an emotional journey sonically reminiscent of 2023’s ‘The Boy In The Black Dress’ and was described by Yungblud at Crauford Arms as “Mars on steroids”, referencing the fourth track from ‘Weird’. The music video for ‘Zombie’, a beautiful ode to healthcare workers, featuring Florence Pugh, now boasts over five million views.
Whilst ‘Idols’ is not simply a product of genre, it is firmly rooted in Yungblud’s appreciation for rock, with clear influences from David Bowie, especially in recently teased ‘Change’, Elton John and Britpop, the latter in full force on the third track, ‘Lovesick Lullaby’. However, it would be a disservice to simplify the record into odes to the works of other artists, especially one about turning away from hero-worship and towards your own experience. Yungblud has instead brought an authentic take on the sound world he clearly feels most himself in. His fourth studio album, recorded in Leeds, is produced by Matt Schwartz and Bob Bradley and features guitarist Adam Warrington.
Combining an impressive range with his familiar gritty vocals, ‘The Greatest Parade’ brings pelting drumbeats to a song made to be performed live. Slightly heavier undertones fuel the electric guitar-dominated ‘Fire’, whilst ‘War’ feels nostalgic of Yungblud’s previous anthemic releases; “everybody loves the way you are / but you don’t let them look inside you”. Glimpses of Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’ can be heard in the closing song of the album, ‘Supermoon’, a heartfelt piano ballad that soon grows to be a choral masterpiece, closing the record with a somewhat lyrically unresolved “don’t be sad”. Fans may have been initially apprehensive of what to expect from Yungblud, but it promises to be a busy time ahead with his ‘Idols’ World Tour, UK & Ireland tour in 2026, and not to mention, the second part of this double album.
‘Idols’ is out everywhere on the 20th of June, the day before Yungblud headlines Bludfest at Milton Keynes Bowl, tickets are still available.
Maisy Neale
Image: Tom Pallant
