{"product_id":"idles-ultra-mono","title":"IDLES - Ultra Mono","description":"\u003ch6\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIDLES had never been particularly interested in subtlety, but \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUltra Mono\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e takes that philosophy to its logical extreme. Their third album is a concentrated blast of punk aggression, political frustration, and confrontational humor, delivered with the force of a band determined to make itself heard above the noise of an increasingly divided world.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReleased in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSeptember 2020 through Partisan Records\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUltra Mono\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e followed the breakthrough success of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJoy as an Act of Resistance.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and found the Bristol five-piece confronting the expectations that came with their rapidly growing audience. Working with producers \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNick Launay and Adam “Atom” Greenspan\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, the band pursued a harder, more immediate sound, emphasizing the physical impact of their performances and stripping away much of the breathing room found on their earlier records.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“War”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e opens the album with a barrage of distorted guitars, pounding drums, and Joe Talbot's barked vocals, establishing the record's combative mood within seconds. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Grounds”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e follows with a mechanical, almost industrial rhythm and a message of collective resistance, its repeated refrain turning the song into a rallying cry.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe album's political and social commentary is characteristically blunt. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Mr. Motivator”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e attacks apathy with absurdist humor and an enormous chorus, while “Model Village” takes aim at small-town prejudice and insularity. “Ne Touche Pas Moi,” featuring \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJehnny Beth of Savages\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, confronts unwanted physical contact and the importance of personal boundaries, while “Anxiety” and “Carcinogenic” address psychological distress and institutional inequality.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDespite its confrontational exterior, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUltra Mono\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e also makes room for moments of unexpected vulnerability. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“A Hymn”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e slows the pace considerably, replacing the band's usual explosive dynamics with a weary, introspective atmosphere. Its restraint provides a striking contrast to the relentless momentum surrounding it.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe record also features contributions from \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWarren Ellis of The Bad Seeds\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, jazz pianist \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJamie Cullum\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and hip-hop producer \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKenny Beats\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, an unlikely combination of collaborators that reflects the band's willingness to draw from outside the traditional punk vocabulary.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMusically, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUltra Mono\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is built for maximum impact. Mark Bowen and Lee Kiernan's guitars grind and collide over Adam Devonshire's muscular bass and Jon Beavis's pounding drums, with Launay and Greenspan giving the performances a dense, almost overwhelming presence. The result is a record that often feels closer to a live confrontation than a carefully polished studio production.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhere \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBrutalism\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e channeled personal grief into anger and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJoy as an Act of Resistance.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e emphasized empathy and solidarity, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUltra Mono\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e turns outward, confronting the world with a mixture of outrage, satire, and defiant communal energy.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLoud, abrasive, and deliberately provocative, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUltra Mono\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e captures IDLES at their most uncompromising, pushing their post-punk sound toward something heavier, more direct, and impossible to ignore.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"IDLES","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48508335554614,"sku":"PTKF2186-8","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0674\/2592\/7222\/files\/idles-ultra-mono.jpg?v=1793944074","url":"https:\/\/greycatrecords.com\/products\/idles-ultra-mono","provider":"Greycat Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}