I’m not prone to hyperbole, but Idles are one of the most crucial bands around especially considering everything going on the world right now. Their debut album, Brutalism, served as a raucous and brilliant exploration of depression and grief from the five-piece, British punk outfit. Singer and lyricist Joe Talbot snarls with the fury, pain, and wisdom of the leader of a pride of lions. When you’re not moved to thrash around, you’ll be screaming their hooks right back at them with the hairs on the back of your neck standing upright.
A year and a half later, Idles prepares to unleash their second album, Joy as an Act of Resistance via Partisan Records, with a string of singles tighter and even more sarcastic than the first round. The fourth and, possibly, most uplifting track released last week, simply named “GREAT.” A punk anthem sprinkled with the lightest touch of pop songwriting, the track aims to get through to those afraid of foreigners with their irresistible brand of cynicism and whimsy (“Islam didn’t eat your hamster/Change isn’t a crime”). Literally spelling it out to the right, Talbot argues in favor of immigration with wit, satire, and an appropriate amount of anger. A colorful music video shot on film dropped last week in tandem with the single as well.
Out August 31st, Joy as an Act of Resistance will further address topical issues like immigration, nationalism, toxic masculinity, and, basically, all modern social issues plaguing Western society. To get a taste of the woke madness, make sure to catch Idles on September 22nd at for a sold out show at Music Hall of Williamsburg with Bambara supporting.