No one weaponises passion quite like Idles. While their arsenal may vary, the mode of attack is always guns blazing. Last year’s Ultra Mono was criticised for its simplicity and lack of development, as the West Country quintet reduced and perfected their breathtaking gut-punch, post-punk aesthetic. The same faults can’t be aimed at this expansive yet introspective sequel. Glass-gargling frontman Joe Talbot disinters his lifelong struggle with substance abuse over 14 songs, circling around a traumatic, drug-fuelled car crash. The band use everything they’ve got, from buzzsaw riffing to beatless orchestration, staccato rap to Sinatra croon, peaking with the stately, stirring grandeur of the remarkable The Beachland Ballroom – a stately grandeur that includes hollering the word “damage” until your vocal cords bleed.
Some may bridle against their say-what-you-see songwriting, but few bands since Nirvana have excoriated themselves with such palpable joy. Who else could scream texts from their dealer and call it a song? Has anyone ever depicted taking drugs and causing a road traffic accident as perfectly as Car Crash? Songs such as The Wheel and Stockholm Syndrome offer thrills that can’t be denied, a preposterously exciting scrapyard soul.
