Within the past several years, the music landscape has become increasingly diluted due to the ease with which artists can upload and share their work online. In an attempt to stand out among the masses, many artists are desperately searching for a unique style that will eventually put them on the map. Artists seem to have recently developed tunnel vision toward the new and revolutionary.

IDLES, however, a Bristol-based punk band, is the epitome of a group that thrives within an established genre by making it their own. IDLES does not break the mould of their genre and instead wear plainly their influences on their sleeve. Yet their new album, Joy as an Act of Resistance, is easily the best rock album I have heard in 2018. Their music is fast, raw and often times coarse, but coupled with their ever-talented lead vocalist, Joe Talbot, it makes for a truly fascinating listen.

While the prevalent theme in modern pop music is partying and the hip-hop genre boasts about opulence, IDLES uses their music as a platform to explore the more grim moments in life. IDLES doesn’t bathe in ignorance. Instead, their new album addresses serious and often truly dark issues head on. The album is politically charged and each song seems to address a particular topic with varying degrees of depth. Themes of addiction, immigration and toxic masculinity all feature on the record.

What is particularly brilliant about IDLES’ album is that the heavy subject matter does not make it a jarring or depressing listen. Often times the songs feature absurd riffs while incorporating some witty, feel-good motivational one-liners. As the album’s title suggests, even in a world of misery there is at least some joy to be had.

Nothing sums up the band quite like the opening track of the album, Colossus — a total rollercoaster. Starting off with slow, guitar-guided verses and heavy drums setting the pace, the first part of the song reads like a Catholic confession. Slowly, three quarters into the song the guitars pick up pace culminating in a blistering, noisy finale. Joe Talbot’s heavy voice resonates “I am my father’s son, his shadow weighs a ton” as he struggles with the notion of family expectations and what it means to be a man.

The idea of masculinity is a major concept the band tackles in this project as it comes up on a number of tracks. None more so than on the song Samaritans where the band begins with the chant “Man up. Sit down. Chin up. Pipe down. Socks up. Don’t cry. Drink up. Just lie.” It is evident that they find the distorted idea of masculinity as a root cause of violence and ignorance. Talbot himself is known to start off live performance with the declaration that “This is a song about the disease in the brain called masculinity.”

The lightest sounding cut on the record comes in the form of Danny Nedelko as the band addresses the issue of immigration. With a catchy yet important chorus thundering, “Fear leads to panic, panic leads to pain, pain leads to anger, anger leads to hate,” it is a classic love your neighbor anthem.

On the other hand there are also several devastating tracks on this album, such as June, in which Joe address the loss of his child. The mood is set from the get-go as the song begins with the line “dreams can be so cruel sometimes.” The chorus then chimes in with the absolute tear-jerking phrase, “Baby shoes for sale: never worn” slowly repeated throughout.

Across this whole project the band takes these punk and post-punk elements and then ups the ante. The intensity is increased and the volume turned up. But the true brilliance lies in Joe Talbot’s lyrical prowess and his astute and at times poetic approach to these complex topics.

In the end, this album is about broken men living in a failing world. Yet, they still believe things can get better, and with such a convincing album, it is hard to disagree.

Favorite Tracks: Danny Nedelko, I’m Scum, Samaritans, Never Fight A Man With A Perm Worst Track: Rottweiler