Joe Talbot reveals Idles' unique contributions to Darren Aronofsky's 'Caught Stealing'

When moviegoers around the world sit down to catch the latest Darren Aronofsky movie, Caught Stealing, they will be treated to the sounds of Idles, the post-punk band from Bristol that provided five songs to the film's soundtrack, in addition to performing the original score by composer Rob Simonsen.

Sitting down with Rolling Stone to break down the process, frontman Joe Talbot revealed that he had ideas for the film before he even watched any scenes just from the screenplay, with the single "Rabbit Run" coming to him on a plane ride home.

"I read it on the plane home and immediately was just seeing the music,” Talbot recalled to Rolling Stone. "A story creates an energy, right?… The nature of the film is a man running away, not just from big scary monsters, but also from himself. And you could immediately just start imagining the pace of those songs and how they’ll work."

From there, Idles got into he studio with Simonsen, playing his compositions in a way only the "Dancer" band could.

"It really was about being in the studio with the scenes and obviously Rob’s amazing composition," Talbot noted. "And then just, I guess, adapting it and giving it depth with our tones and the 700 pedals that our guitarists have got."

Asked about using Idles as his band instead of a traditional orchestra, Simonsen told Rolling Stone that, in a way, Talbot's band was his orchestra, using their unique sound to create something frenetic for the film, even if they didn't always see eye to eye along the way.

"The idea was that the Idles would be the orchestra," Simonsen said. "Which then became about learning how they create, how they think, how they process. You’re dealing with a very unique band that achieves their sound in a very unique way. So that was where we needed to start.... They were real dicks about it. But we worked through it, and then it was amazing. And it was really an organic process from that point."

Officially hitting theaters nationwide on August 28, Caught Stealing was celebrated for its pacing, period authenticity, and for the contributions of Idles, who added a unique element to the film's atmosphere. While only time will tell if Idles return to the film game once more for future projects with Aronofsky or beyond, if the experience proves anything, it's to expect the unexpected from Talbot's band.

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