Hooray! Dumb music for smart people living in horrific times! Remember kids, just say "no" to fascism.
Based in Moscow, Idaho, IDEOMOTOR is a three-piece band with a rotating crew of bass players and a local cult following. They sporadically tour regionally, having shared bills with Itchy Kitty, Help, et al., and have played the Treefort Music Fest in Boise, Punk Palouse in Moscow, and Cougfest in Pullman. Their music has been described as angular punk rock. ‘Don’t Need It‘ is their second LP and is self-released. Debut album ‘Shiny New Bolts‘ dropped in 2023 via Dollhouse Lightning Records.
IDEOMOTOR‘s core are Dylan on guitar and Jon on drums:
IDEOMOTOR say “Here in Estados Unidos, our government has been captured by billionaires, pedophiles, and actual fucking nazis. People are being terrorized, dying, and disappearing at the hands of a nihilistic and dim-witted zombie-like paramilitary arm of a self-serving ruling class hellbent on realizing some theocratic version of a 1930’s-esque fascist wet-dream. Meanwhile climate change is ramping up and the billionaire class knows it. They perceive most human beings as non essential, instead putting their faith in the development of AI super intelligence to secure absolute hegemony over the human race and help manage the mechanized workforce meant to replace us. Cognitive dissonance is a necessary aspect of modern society.”
Opening the album is its first single release ‘U.C.S.A. (Don’t Need It)‘, just under one minute and 20 seconds of wild and weird rapid riffing, with a strong message “We don’t need your transphobia, racism or theo-fashy shit, Don’t need your hypocrisy, we’re fucking sick of it”:
Next track and single release on ‘Don’t Need It‘ is ‘Loner‘, a song the band describe as “as much a declaration of opposition as it is an affirmation that we all have our own unique experiences and cannot be simply reduced to a demographic to be manipulated and controlled. We are not just numbers in their bad equation.” This one will get your head nodding to its infectious beat and its heartfelt lyrics! IDEOMOTOR explain; “Consider this energetic anthem another tiny piece of kindling to help stoke the fire of the resistance; shit is completely fucked.”:
‘Confirmation Bias‘ (in case you weren’t aware) is something the algorithms used in social media play on, making sure you see more of the same stuff they reckon you’ll agree with… leaving no space for healthy debate. “Knock knock ain’t nobody home, Just propaganda on your mobile phone, They gonna push your buttons like you was a drone, You’re a mark” – a warning tone rings through the chorus. Bass-driven ‘Worms‘ warns against the destruction of civil liberty by an increasingly authoritarian state. Powerful and punchy.
Previously released as a single back in 2024, ‘Centipede‘ has been brilliantly re-worked for the album. Distorted surf guitar opens the song, before the story begins; “112 on the interstate, am dial, no brakes…”. This version hits you in the face like a broken bottle, sharp and jagged, yet crystal clear. Shortest and fastest track on the album, ‘Killing Kerouac‘ is a rapid-fire retaliation to the ‘What’s punk?’ debate! “One two three four, who’s punk, what’s the score?”
Climate change and human interference in nature are the subjects of ‘Year of the Liger‘. The most obviously straight-up punk number on the album, its chugging guitar and percussive beat will see the pit erupting!
Slower song ‘Conservative Rorschach Test‘ tackles racism and the horrific and violent deportation of immigrants from some parts of the States. Nat Turner, who led the only effective and sustained slave revolt in US history is referenced, as is Emmett Till, who, at 14 years old, was abducted and lynched in Mississippi in 1955. The brutality of his murder and the acquittal of his killers drew attention to the long history of violent persecution of African Americans in the United States.
‘Don’t Need It‘ sirens to its conclusion with ‘Pullman‘, home of Washington State University. A musical and lyrical takedown of the smalltown ideology applied to a large town, turning it into a homogenous and boring place.
Defiant, political, absurd at times, this release features a distinctive flavour of punk rock, built on the shoulders of greats like Bad Brains, Dead Kennedys, Drive Like Jehu, the Minutemen and The Damned – with a dash of math and a pinch of caveman thrown in for good measure!
Out today, 26th June 2026, get your digital download of ‘Don’t Need It‘ from HERE for a mere $10!
Main Photo Credit: MIKE MCGRIFF
- U.C.S.A. (Don’t Need It)
- Loner
- Confirmation Bias
- Worms
- Centipede (Album Version)
- Killing Kerouac
- Year of the Liger
- Conservative Rorschach Test
- Pullman
Follow IDEOMOTOR on Their Socials:
Need more Punk In Your Life?
Interview: Alex catches up with teenage punks Yee Loi
One of the most exciting new UK bands that we’ve heard in a long time, Yee Loi is a teenage trio, all siblings, who hail
Album review: John Coffey – ‘Not Alone’
Many bands play punk rock – only a small percentage of those bands live it. Dutch quintet John Coffey are firmly in the latter camp,
Live review: The Circles, Proper & Dead Star Boys, London 26/9/26
Tonight, as every Saturday, there are many gigs happening in and around London. However, it’s not often that the capital gets a visit from an
Slam Dunk Festival reveals first wave of bands for 2027!
Slam Dunk, the UK’s biggest independent rock festival, is back for 2027 and today unveils its first wave of artists. Hot on the heels of
Album review: Bombstrap – ‘Big Enemy’
Hard times create hard music, and with the state of the world as it is right now, there is plenty of fertile breeding ground for
Album Review: Veteran Punk supergroup Pressure Set unleash their debut LP
Pressure Set – a Transatlantic collab of unexpected origin lets loose on their self-titled debut. In 2024, Colorado-based SPELLS drummer Rob Burleson met guitarist Dom
Usually found jumping around down the front at gigs, I also relish taking photos and videos, singing, speaking with fellow music fans, and asking musicians the questions nobody else does. Writing about my favourite bands and connecting with people who love music too keeps me more-or-less sane! I’ve worked for over 25 years at a video production company, mainly filming live music events, therefore I have an additional backstage perspective on the scene.
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
