Rob’s Album Of The Week: Idles’ Ultra Mono

It’s crazy to think that after all this time, some people still think that punk is dead. Perhaps mainstream consumerism has eaten away at its ethos due to how you’re likely to hear a Ramones track in a car commercial these days, but the spirit in still very much alive. It can be said that with the tension and friction our society is currently facing, we need punk now more than ever. Take a look at Idles from the English city of Bristol, they’ve been taking on the status quo & various inequalities with serious vigor. With this approach, their third full length installment, Ultra Mono, that was released via Partisan Records on September 25 has become part of their sonic arsenal.

An intriguing part of the album is how it’s sonically aimed to capture the feeling of a hip hop record. Idles isn’t the first band to try to do this, various electronic, indie and even folk rock acts have tried their hand at it. While keeping that in mind, it does accent Jon Beavis’ drumming a bit more while upping the intensity ofJoe Talbot’s vocals. Overall, Ultra Mono takes the issues of class struggle, mental health and toxic masculinity head on. It’s also fantastic how there’s no set structure present with each song having something different to offer.

These days I get the sense that our society is literally on the verge of crumbling. At one time this was just a…