When you think of IDLES, words come to your head such as passion, raw and “full-on”. They are a band that seem to sucker punch you with every record they release. They are Post-punk kings and have nailed the genre. So when they released Ultra Mono last year, despite it becoming their first UK number 1 album, many were left slightly disappointed with the lack of development in the bands famous sound compared to previous records.
Some felt there was pressure on this record. The band had to innovate, to adapt, to develop. But with the band being so synonymous with post-punk, heavy tracks, this also left the potential to fall flat on their faces. How do you delicately wed old and new. I would say, you do it just like this.
The band is back with new album, ‘CRAWLER’, and wow is it different to previous works. IDLES fans, don’t panic. Frontman Joe Talbot is not now suddenly doing falsetto ranges all over the tracks. The heavy riffs still remain as do the gritty lyrics. All the IDLES trademarks are there but they’re now intertwined within a sound that feels more developed, more mature. A step in a different direction - an interesting and very pleasing direction.
The album speaks a lot about Talbot’s constant battle with addiction and substance abuse, using a lot of point of view lyrics that are brutal and honest. The band have teamed this with all sorts of variation that was not even sniffed at in their last record. Orchestration, staccato rap, grandeur; this album feels so well developed and thought through. It has layers and variation that keep you on your toes as a listener and *puts a few pounds into the metaphor jar*, the album takes you on a complex and diverse journey with twists and turns throughout.
I must admit, when I first listened to CRAWLER, I struggled because of the change in style. But when you take a step back and forget it’s an IDLES album, you really appreciate it as a great one. It feels like this is what Don Broco were trying to create but, whilst Broco slightly missed the mark, IDLES hit the bullseye.
There are moments when the album goes back into a more familiar IDLES chaos, such as during ‘The New Sensation’ which rips into dig the Government’s suggestion that people in the arts should simply retrain. Then there is Wizz; 30 seconds of grinding noise featuring texts from Joe's former dealer transformed into lyrics. Pure IDLES madness. But then other tracks like the opener, ‘MRT 420 RR’, is a minimalistic and delicate dive into a horrific road accident that also describes Joe Talbot’s descent into addiction. So many beautiful moments fill this dark, almost gothic, tracklist.
You can listen to this again and again and find new highlights, nuances you may have previously missed. It’s sensational and, if you are lucky enough to be seeing them on their upcoming tour, I’m incredibly envious. This would be moving and captivating to see in person.
To me, this is the most reflective, and exciting IDLES I’ve heard. They’ve experimented and found a superb, mature sound whilst managing to remain a band filled equally with rage and humour. I wait extremely excited to see where they take their sound next.
Rating: 9/10
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