365 – New Music Daily

The IDLES are an unapologetically contemporary British punk band with a really distinct sound often marked by low driving guitars, frontman Joe Talbots raspy, shouty vocals and some seriously fantastic drums. Not to mention the fucking lyrics, and song titles. Track 2 – Never Fight A Man With A Perm gives us (aside from the title) lines such as:

A heathen from Eton
On a bag of Michael Keaton

You look like a walking thyroid
You’re not a man, you’re a gland
You’re one big neck with sausage hands
You are a Topshop tyrant
Even your haircut’s violent
You look like you’re from Love Island

However, looking past the surface level absurdity that one might derive from these songs/lyrics – aside from the incredible musicality showcased throughout this album – there is also great thematic lyricism in songs like the aforementioned as well as Television – speaking on beauty standards and how we should forget about all of that stupid shit. Or in Samaritans, a track about how stupid masculinity standards are in today’s society. While their music may appear abrasive and brash (which it can be) or goofy (which it also can be), it’s also features amazing lyricism and seriously, it cannot be understated how good their punk sound is. A fantastic album, though not for the faint of ears.

Favorite songs: Colossus, Never Fight A Man With A Perm, I’m Scum, Samaritans, Television, Great