When pushing something subversive, what do you do when the exact thing you're trying to subvert welcomes you in with open arms? Just as Rage Against the Machine faced accusations of selling out for selling literally anything, the establishment-baiting IDLES are now face to face with a mainstream success they never prepared for, and a system waiting expectantly for the de facto poster boys of a wave of socially aware guitar music to fail – purely, it seems, for the sake of it.
Ultra Mono is the feverishly anticipated follow-up to 2018's Joy As An Act of Resistance, and there has been a tangible sense of having something to prove right from the lockdown release of pummelling lead single 'Mr Motivator'. The track seems to pick up where 'Never Fight a Man With a Perm' left off, with lyrics referencing "David Attenborough clubbing seal clubbers with LeBron James" carrying the baton of precisely that wry wit which detractors took to be a cheap gimmick, but this time instead of haplessly scrapping with an imaginary figure, vocalist Joe Talbot asks witheringly "how'd you like them cliches?". Instead of just tackling societal ills, IDLES now have to take on their own detractors.
And that's as exhilarating as it is a tiny bit exhausting. The band have taken big strides forward, but it would be patronising to say they were pushed by any external pressure – being second-guessed is abhorrent to them, as per Talbot's snarled "go ahead, tell them what I've intended" on the thunderous 'Grounds', the second single so perfectly described by guitarist Bowen as "AC/Yeezy". IDLES have made no secret of their hip-hop influences, and with that genre's producer-du-jour Kenny Beats (FKA Twigs, DaBaby, Vince Staples) on hand with additional programming there is a definite new dimension to their sound; no doubt an American hip-hop producer a) liking and b) working with the band is another reason to hate IDLES, but 'Reigns' is so meaty I can't even hear that argument let alone engage with it.
There's a clear need to raise personal shields (or, more likely, swords) against their haters, but the band reserve some venom for the world around them, too – a casual glance through the Ultra Mono lyric book would give a Daily Mail reader a twitchy eye. 'Carcinogenic' is an irresistible return to peak IDLES, both musically and thematically, 'Model Village' continues the noble art of Brexiteer baiting that has served the band so well in the past and 'Ne Touche Pas Moi' (with Jehnny Beth from Savages guesting on vocals) is a ferocious and vital takedown of catcalling culture.
But the band's legs start to go a little bit on 'Anxiety', which comes across as something of a tired rehash of '1049 Gotho' with the somewhat underwhelming chorus of "I've got anxiety, it's got the best of me". Mind you, this is fairly verbose compared to Talbot's onomatopoeic outbursts on otherwise excellent opener 'War' – I'm still not entirely convinced by "clack clack cl-cl-clack clack" – or his unhinged animal sounds on 'Kill Them With Kindness', which begins with some delightful piano from, of all people, Jamie Cullum.
With the lyrics stripped back and the music evolving, Ultra Mono isn't perfect, but what did you expect? Thrust into a cold spotlight, with adoring fans on one side and a slavering mass of critics on the other, IDLES could have crumbled under the pressure, but they haven't – Ultra Mono feels like the next piece of a puzzle with a lot more to it. Love them or hate them, IDLES are here to stay. Thank fuck for that.
Words - Joe Ponting
IDLES official
Ultra Mono is released September 25th on Partisan Records