IDLES guitarist Mark Bowen has revealed to NME and revealed that the ban are currently working on their “most exciting” album yet, as well as opening up about his “beautiful” and “liberating” time working with Florence + The Machine.
The guitarist and producer caught up with us on the Ivor Novellos 2026 red carpet yesterday (Thursday May 21), where he was nominated alongside Florence Welch for Best Song Musically and Lyrically with the title track to Florence + The Machine’s latest album ‘Everybody Scream’.
Bowen worked closely with Welch throughout the record, which tackled themes of womanhood, partnership, ageing and dying, and has since joined her on stage as she kicked off her 2026 tour in the UK earlier this year.
“It was one of the greatest gifts I’ve had in music to work with someone with such an incredible vision,” Bowen told NME, explaining how the experience differed from his work with IDLES.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever written music with someone where it’s not intended to be my art,” he said. “Normally when I’m writing in my band, there’s a certain sense of ownership and identity that you bring to it, whereas this was all about being the vessel through which Florence’s genius and Florence’s creative idea flowed.
“It was an incredibly enjoyable experience, an emotional experience for me as well, and it was a really beautiful thing,” he added. “It’s definitely very different to being in my band where basically a big argument happens for a few hours, and then a song comes out at the end! With Florence, she’s got this very straightforward vision. She knows exactly what she wants, and then it’s just about how you make that happen musically.”
When asked what he has coming up next, Bowen revealed that IDLES have been back in the studio working on a new album – the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2024 record ‘Tangk’.
“It is probably the most exciting IDLES album, just from a perspective of how excited we are about it,” he told NME. “We got back in the studio to write, and we’ve kinda gone – I don’t want to say back to basics because that’s cliche – but it’s a bit back to basics!
“It’s five members in a room thrashing it out on instruments. Lots of arguments, [which is great because] if it’s too nice, then it’s not sick. It’s always more sick if someone is not getting what they want!”
The guitarist and songwriter then revealed that while things are still in early stages, he is sure “it’ll be recorded this year and I’d expect it [released] next year”.
As for the artwork, Bowen said it “would be sick” if they could get iconic street artist Banksy to design the cover – particularly given the allusive artist pulling a stunt at IDLES’ 2024 Glastonbury set, where he put an inflatable boat into the audience during the band’s pro-immigration track ‘Danny Nedelko’.
While Florence + The Machine’s ‘Everybody Scream’ was nominated for Best Song Musically and Lyrically at the 2026 Ivor Novellos, the trophy ultimately went to Jacob Alon for their song ‘Don’t Fall Asleep’.
The Scottish singer-songwriter also won the Rising Star Award, and other winners included CMAT getting Best Album, Fraser T Smith and Kae Tempest winning Best Contemporary Song prize, and Sam Fender getting Songwriter Of The Year.
Rosalía was crowned International Songwriter Of The Year, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke was handed the Academy Fellowship award by surprise guest Harry Styles, and George Michael posthumously received the Academy Fellowship, too.
When it was released, NME gave the ‘Everybody Scream’ album a glowing five-star review, which said that while there is “no easy, radio-friendly hit here, nor a euphoric finale”, the record does feel like a “final embrace” and “one that stays with you longer than the rage and anguish which, here, is as fleeting, yet deeply magical, as the changing seasons.”
IDLES will be returning to perform with Deftones at their All Points East x Outbreak show at London’s Victoria Park on Sunday August 23.
