“An Earthquake of Positivity” ‘Ultra Mono’ Album Review

                                                                                    

“An Earthquake of Positivity”
‘Ultra Mono’ Album Review

 

Idles are surprisingly controversial.

If you were to have suggested that in 2019, Idles were given a heads up of every box that we needed a band to tick this year, I would have believed you. Their third album, Ultra Mono, out this Friday, is a celebration of black beauty, female empowerment, and consent, whilst all is spat with rebellious angst and clenched fists.

For a band that sing about saving the NHS, equal rights and immigration, a lot of people seem to be questioning their motifs. We question Idles’ authenticity and their ‘right’ to speak as the working class; we question whether Idles bringing only female support acts on tour is a publicity stunt. But after listening to the lyrics on Ultra Mono, it becomes clear that the emotion and anger fuelling their speech is nothing but authentic. “This is a sawn-off, For the cat-callers, This is a pistol, For the wolf whistle, 'Cause my body is my body, And it belongs to nobody but me, But me” screams Talbot with nothing but passion and animosity. They have quickly mastered the skill of reducing their messages down to severe transparency whilst the music wraps it up concisely. The punky melodies are chaotic with a simple, yet effective layering of 2/3 note guitar riffs and the lyrics are the same; they are chaotic and boundary-pushing words, that have been honed down to a minimal but impactful message. Not far beneath the surface of their self-admitted sloganeering lies a deeply complex and brutally relevant album that chews up clichés and spits them out as high art for the masses. 

Ultra Mono is fuelled with harsh-truths, extremism, and a rebellious nature. The earthquake of positivity they have crafted is infectious. If love was on the Richter scale, Idles would have blown it up. Don’t be fooled by their angry exterior. They are here to change the world one person at a time, and this seems to be the most direct and effective way of doing it.

 

Ultra Mono will be available on all platforms Friday 25^th September.

Pre-order 'Ultra Mono' HERE