Bristol's IDLES enlist the help of RADIOHEAD producer Nigel Godrich (as well as KENNY BEATS and James Murphy of LCD SOUNDSYSTEM) for a record that expands out of punk onto the dancefloor while still retaining the group's signature cockney aggression. On Partisan.

As far as contemporary comparisons go, Bristol's IDLES hews most closely to Detroit band PROTOMARTYR. These similarities are pretty striking, both in terms of the bands' sonic qualities (both have punchy and muscular rhythm sections joined with feedback wall guitars and pointed shout-speak vocals) and in terms of thematic subjects (alienation, anti-capitalist disillusionment, navigating toxic masculine tendencies). What really separates these two bands - apart from nationality - is their outlook. Whereas PROTOMARTYR's music is dour, IDLES seeks to provide their audience with uplift, and both of these expressions of our modern existence can be poignant and evocative, just in radically different ways. "Ultra Mono" continues right where "Joy as an Act of Resistance" left off, joining pummeling riffs with anthemic declarations of self-love. Whether that speaks to you is reflected in your own emotional life. And if so, this is another deeply rewarding IDLES LP.

Bristol's IDLES enlist the help of RADIOHEAD producer Nigel Godrich (as well as KENNY BEATS and James Murphy of LCD SOUNDSYSTEM) for a record that expands out of punk onto the dancefloor while still retaining the group's signature cockney aggression. On Partisan.

As far as contemporary comparisons go, Bristol's IDLES hews most closely to Detroit band PROTOMARTYR. These similarities are pretty striking, both in terms of the bands sonic qualities (both have punchy and muscular rhythm sections joined with feedback wall guitars and pointed shout-speak vocals) and in terms of thematic subjects (alienation, anti-capitalist disillusionment, navigating toxic masculine tendencies). What really separates these two bands - apart from nationality - is their outlook. Whereas PROTOMARTYR's music is dour, IDLES seeks to provide their audience with uplift, and both of these expressions of our modern existence can be poignant and evocative, just in radically different ways. "Ultra Mono" continues right where "Joy as an Act of Resistance" left off, joining pummeling riffs with anthemic declarations of self-love. Whether that speaks to you is reflected in your own emotional life. And if so, this is another deeply rewarding IDLES LP.