Frank Carter and Joe Talbot from Idles join forces on the ferocious My Town

Frank Carter & Joe Talbot of IDLES
(Image credit: Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes)

Since releasing the deluxe version of Blossom last year with three unreleased songs, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes have been unusually quiet. Happily, now they’re back, with a new single, My Town, featuring a guest spot by Joe Talbot from Idles.

The track is accompanied by a hallucinatory video which presents Carter and Talbot having fun with green screens, whilst terrorising a miniature city.  

Detailing the narrative behind the track, which features lyrics such as ‘You never talk about what’s deep inside’ and ‘We hide those tears behind closed doors’, Carter explains that the song is metaphor for "our collective mental health falling apart.”

He continues, “It’s easy to dissociate when it’s someone else’s problem but we are each responsible for keeping the streets clean, looking out for our fellow neighbours, and acting with kindness and respect as we walk through life”.

“We can look into this town and see the seedy underbelly, the dirt, the disdain, the undercurrent of hate and despair. And then we are reminded that My Town looks just like yours, and no one gives a fuck at all and if we don’t start looking after ourselves soon then we are all going to be in big trouble.”

“Joe Talbot is one of my heroes, so for me to have him on this track was a pretty special moment,” Carter tells NME. “He’s another very angry man – potentially angrier than me!”