British rockers IDLES return with a ferocious collection of politically charged mayhem, twelve tracks that tap into the energy, frustration, and anger of the tumultuous year that is 2020. Ultra Mono is the band’s third studio album, and it is very much in step with the previous two releases. Characterized by propulsive rhythms, shouted protest lyrics, and sludgy guitars, Ultra Mono is a worthy soundtrack to a frenzied mosh pit or an angry march.
“Grounds,” one of the album’s best songs, is the Bristol quintet’s signal of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement that began in the United States before becoming an international phenomenon. Lee Kiernan’s menacing guitar riff, juxtaposed with Mark Bowen’s bright jerky lick, adds to the song’s tension, creating an ominous soundscape that puts you at unease, waiting for the unleashed fury that’s to come. “Do you hear that thunder? That’s the sound of strength in numbers,” Joe Talbot sings in his guttural, half-screamed, half-spoken style as the song erupts into bedlam.
Ultra Mono combines IDLES’ various influences, capturing the raw energy and passion of punk rock, the driving rhythms of post-punk, and the experimental guitar tones of alternative. “Anxiety” is built around loud-soft dynamics while “Kill Them with Kindness” works from its heavy, off-kilter guitar riff. “A Hymn” is the album’s only break from its onslaught of heavy rockers, a mid-tempo anthem about being ashamed about living a comfortable, privileged life. “Hot Zumba classes at the new church; I lost ten pounds for the wedding. I played happy ‘til my teeth hurt,” Talbot croons while Kiernan and Bowen lay down dissonant guitar arpeggios reminiscent of Interpol.
The lurching rhythm and mechanical pulsing of “Reigns,” with its rattling bassline and swelling feedback, is a powder keg that slowly builds to the explosion of its chorus. “How does it feel to have shagged the working classes into dust?” Talbot shouts, his vocals repeated with the repetitive, staccato rhythm before the chorus crashes through with loud, free-flowing power chords.
Like all IDLES releases, Ultra Mono’s biggest drawback is its lack of variety. Though the guitarists experiment with different tones, each song still has the same feel sonically. Likewise, Talbot’s vocals are monotone with little variety and his lyrics are sometimes simplistic. But IDLES make up for those flaws with its greatest strengths, the band’s passion, unbridled fury, and raw intensity. IDLES wears its passion and anger on its sleeve, delivering infectious rhythms, filthy distorted guitars, and snarling vocals to drive its message home.
