LA-based “glimmer rock” artist-to-watch Vienna Vienna turns digital fatigue into motion on “Idle Hands,” offering a high-voltage portrait of overstimulation, community, and the urgent joy of showing up together, ahead of his forthcoming ‘Entertain Me’ EP.

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Stream: “Idle Hands” – Vienna Vienna

One, two, three, everybody do the ketamine, everybody with the OCD, you did it, you got it!

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An electrifying fever dream, “Idle Hands” is a jolt straight to the nervous system – the kind of song that grabs you on first listen and refuses to let go.

Fast, fervent, and instantly addictive, Vienna Vienna’s all-consuming single roars and soars with hard-hitting indie pop intensity, its hooks landing like sparks off exposed wire. The LA-based artist makes your pulse race and your brain light up all at once, delivering a high-voltage earworm that thrives on momentum and doesn’t apologize for how loud or alive it wants to be.

Released November 7^th via PULSE Records and Pete Wentz’s DCD2 Records, “Idle Hands” hits with the kind of immediacy that feels tailor-made for movement – music that demands to be shouted back in a room full of bodies, sweat, and sound. That instinct is intentional. “I love to perform more than anything and I always make songs with the intention of being best heard live,” Vienna Vienna tells Atwood Magazine. From its pounding rhythm to its sky-high chorus, this track pulses with that live-first energy, engineered for release.

Too bad the bastards got you,
the bastards got you
You’re really gonna stick it to ’em
Hey man, the western fronts you,
the western fronts you
The freedom to get jiggy with it

You know the muse just speaks
and your fingers tweak
And you’re any devil’s plaything
Too bad the bastards got you,
the vampires want you
They want, want, want, want

Active since 2021, Vienna Vienna is the fast-rising project of LA-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist “J,” a fiercely expressive, electrifying performer – one carving out a space where spectacle and sincerity coexist. After first catching our attention earlier this year with the radiant queer anthem “God Save the Queens,” Vienna Vienna has continued to build a body of work defined by bold hooks, theatrical energy, and an unshakable commitment to community. With “Idle Hands,” he sharpens that vision even further, channeling movement, connection, and catharsis into one of his most immediate and electrifying statements yet.

The song is a vivid showcase of the artist’s self-described “glimmer rock,” a term that reflects both the showmanship and the catharsis at the heart of his sound. “Glimmer rock is about a few things but ‘loudness’ is the most important,” he explains. “It’s an expression of my flamboyance and boisterousness. Every song I write is cathartic for me and I hope in turn for others. I’m taking inspiration from lots of genres and scenes – art rock, indie, dance punk, emo. A buffet of music I truly love.” You can hear all of that colliding inside “Idle Hands”: Glossy synths, distorted guitars, propulsive drums, and a sense of theatrical abandon that turns chaos into something thrilling.

Underneath the gleeful ferocity, though, is a pointed frustration with modern overstimulation.

Vienna Vienna wrote “Idle Hands” as a response to digital exhaustion, deliberately grounding the track in tactile sound. “I wanted to be true to my love of the analogue, sticking to the tangible pieces of gear at my disposal,” he says. Built from a Juno, fuzzed-out guitar, bass through a tube screamer, and a mix of live drums, percussion, and drum machines, the song feels physical in the best way – like something you can grab onto instead of scroll past.

One, two, three, everybody do the ketamine
Everybody with the OCD
You did it, you got it
You did it, you got it

My idle hands
Keep me occupied all the time
I fail to launch
But I’m the rocket man in my mind

The chorus captures that tension perfectly: Restless energy with nowhere meaningful to land. For Vienna Vienna, the song became a personal call to action. “‘Idle Hands’ is essentially about my frustration with online spaces and feeling like few truly meaningful connections have happened there for me,” he shares. “I needed my own call to action, a push to get my hands in the dirt.” That idea crystallizes in his mantra for the track – “change lies at your footsteps, not your fingertips” – a reminder that real connection still lives offline, in motion, in presence.

“The connection you hope to find is out ‘there,’ and trust me it’s worth it,” he affirms. “So when you’re done trying to change the heart and mind of a guy with an anonymous profile pic, let me know. We’re building a community over here, and we’d genuinely love to have you.”

This recent run of releases marks a period of growth for the artist, following the breakout success of “God Save the Queens” – another Atwood favorite. “I try to learn something about myself when I write and perform,” he reflects. “These songs have been tools for me to grow in many ways. In skill and focus as well as personal understanding.” You can feel that sharpening here: “Idle Hands” is tighter, bolder, and more confident, channeling introspection into propulsion rather than paralysis.

At its core, “Idle Hands” is about community – not just as an idea, but as a necessity.

“I believe community is the most important thing we can have in a divided and individualist period of history,” Vienna Vienna says. “We have to take care of each other, we just have to. It’s the only way to turn the volume down on this ‘shock and awe’ we’re all dealing with.” That belief hums beneath every shout-along hook and glittering breakdown, turning personal restlessness into something collective and galvanizing.

I’m not buying that tiny violin,
they’re gonna give it to me
I love living in a simulation
’cause I can cherry-pick the information
It’s my birthday and I’d like to start again
They’re gonna give it to me
’cause i’m important, I’m so important
And I support it, I, I support it

“Idle Hands” doesn’t sit still, and neither does Vienna Vienna. With his Entertain Me EP set to release in mid-January, 2026 is shaping up to be his breakout year. “I’m so grateful to get to do what I do and make what I make,” he says. “I love every second of it.” That joy is contagious. Loud, flamboyant, and gloriously alive, “Idle Hands” is indie pop at full throttle – a song that turns overstimulation into fuel and reminds us that the most meaningful sparks still happen when we show up, together, in real time.

That belief – that loudness can be cathartic, that movement can still create real connection in an overstimulated world – runs through everything Vienna Vienna does. To understand where that energy comes from, and how it shapes both the spectacle and the substance of his work, we caught up with J to talk about “Idle Hands,” glimmer rock, community, and the joy of making music meant to be felt together. Read our interview below, and stay tuned for Vienna Vienna’s Entertain Me EP – a record that promises to build on this momentum with even bigger hooks, bolder feelings, and the same unshakable belief in music as a space for connection.

And one, two, three, everybody do the policy
Everybody breaking off their piece
You did it, you got it
You did it, you got it

My idle hands
Keep me occupied all the time
I fail to launch
But I’m the rocket man in my mind

A CONVERSATION WITH VIENNA VIENNA

Vienna Vienna: Hello! Thank you for having meI I think I want them to know that I’ll always be true to the sounds I love and the stories I want to tell. I love to perform more than anything and I always make songs with the intention of being best heard live.

Vienna Vienna: Glimmer rock is about a few things, but “loudness” is the most important. It’s an expression of my flamboyance and boisterousness. Every song I write is cathartic for me and I hope in turn for others. I’m taking inspiration from lots of genres and scenes- art rock, indie, dance punk, emo. A buffet of music I truly love.

Vienna Vienna: I try to learn something about myself when I write and perform. These songs have been tools for me to grow in many ways. In skill and focus as well as personal understanding.

Vienna Vienna: I wanted to be true to my love of the analogue, sticking to the tangible pieces of gear at my disposal. Especially for a song about being tired of digital overstimulation. It’s a four piece really, the Juno, my guitar through a bass micro synth and fuzz, bass through a tube screamer, a mix of live drums, percussion, and drum machines. I had already written another song for the project and I wanted to write a sister track to it, so Idle Hands was born. (That other one’s coming out real soon)

Vienna Vienna: “Idle Hands” is essentially about my frustration with online spaces and feeling like few truly meaningful connections have happened there for me. I needed my own call to action, a push to get my hands in the dirt.

Vienna Vienna:I believe community is the most important thing we can have in a divided and individualist period of history. We have to take care of each other, we just have to. It’s the only way to make turn the volume down on this “shock and awe” we’re all dealing with.

Vienna Vienna:I’m working on a few things right now, filming music videos and coming up with concepts for albums. I’m focused on getting another EP ready right now and it’s close, finishing touches. I’m prepping for some exciting shows I have coming up too! Nothings official yet but keep your eyes peeled! I’m so grateful to get to do what I do and make what I make. I love every second of it. Always a pleasure to chat, thank you so much Atwood.

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Stream: “Idle Hands” – Vienna Vienna

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