Your playlist’s about to get completely taken over. “Idiot Love,” the killer new single from Aircraft (the one-man rock machine), is basically a tour de force in atmospheric rock that’ll hold you tight. Serving as a tantalising preview of the forthcoming album Death is around the corner, this track proves that after 14 years, the creative engine behind this project, Ukrainian-born musician Daniel Merkulov, is operating at peak altitude.
Let’s be clear: Aircraft is not a band in the traditional sense. It’s the singular vision of Merkulov, a project that started as a minimalist side hustle in Kyiv back in 2011 that’s since blown up into an internationally recognized force. With “Idiot Love,” he’s mixing those dark, dreamy guitar vibes from his shoegaze and dream pop days with the slick, synthetic beats he’s been exploring lately. What you get is a sound that’s huge yet somehow feels super personal—that signature style he’s been perfecting through six LPs and endless tours from Berlin to the Fusion Festival.
The track immediately pulls you into its world. That “moody, melodic” description is spot-on; we’re talking a brooding monster built on warm, thick guitar tones and that classic, steady drum machine beat. There’s this rough-around-the-edges class to it, like a lo-fi heartbeat pumping under a polished production that brings to mind the dreamy feels of Cocteau Twins mixed with those dark synth hooks from early Depeche Mode. Merkulov’s gentle vocals move through, not with a scream, but with this haunting clarity that piles on the emotional weight.
What really blows us away is how Merkulov, as a solo artist, creates such a rich, full-band sound. He’s the architect of it all: the guitars, the vocals, the programming. We’re not talking about some bedroom producer clicking around on a laptop here. This is a musician who gets how to make instruments talk to each other. The guitar work is a central character, dancing around the synth lines like they’ve got something to prove. It feels wild and spontaneous, but you know he’s thought through every single note. Having built a reputation not just for recordings but for explosive live and DJ sets across Europe, Aircraft knows how to make what works – whether you’re zoning out with headphones or losing your mind at a festival.
“Idiot Love” comes from an artist who just won’t sit still. Think about it – this journey started with MiniDiscs (remember those?), blew up on TikTok, and now he’s rocking international stages. This guy’s journey has been one of constant evolution and this new single captures that spirit perfectly. It’s a killer track that’ll make the diehards happy while pulling in fresh ears who don’t even know what hit ’em yet. Clear the runway—Aircraft is taking off again, and it’s one hell of a ride.