When Bristol punk rockers IDLES step up to the mic, they aren’t just howling for howling’s sake. On their upcoming sophomore album, Joy As An Act of Resistance, they’re on a mission to punch confrontational sociopolitical questions through listeners’ speakers. Lead single “Danny Nedelko” tackled the heady topic of immigration (they’re very much pro); for the follow-up track, “Samaritans”, the five-piece is exposing the inherent ridiculousness of macho standards.
“There’s been a long line of bullshit that has pushed men into a corner, where simple masking becomes a trope of masculinity and a catalyst for insanity,” frontman Joe Talbot explained in a statement. “What we wear, what we eat, what razor we use, high performance chewing gum, go faster shampoo, how we treat women, how we treat ourselves, how we die. I truly believe that masculinity has gone from an evolution of cultural praxis to a disease. I wanted to encourage a conversation about gender roles by writing this song.”
Here, Talbot’s vocals play out more like barking orders, as though mimicking the detached aggression often associated with alpha male-types. One verse sees him flipping a Katy Perry line, saying, “I kissed a boy and I liked it!” Slamming drums and wiry guitars, burning in the background, keep the heat and momentum going.
Check it out below via a video filled with traditionally “masculine” footage.
Joy As An Act of Resistance is due out August 31st through Partisan Records. In support, IDLES will spend most of the fall touring North America, Europe, and parts of Asia.
IDLES 2018 Tour Dates:
09/11 – Tokyo, JP @ Dalkanyama Unit
09/14 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
09/15 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Middle Waves Music Festival
09/16 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
09/17 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
09/18 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount
09/20 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
09/22 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
09/24 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
09/25 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
09/27 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
09/28 – Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
09/29 – St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill Duck Room
10/01 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
10/04 – Vancouver, BC @ The Rickshaw Theatre
10/05 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
10/06 – Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern
10/08 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
10/10 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teregram Ballroom
10/16 – Bristol, UK @ SWX
10/18 – London, UK @ O2 Forum Kentish Town
10/19 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz
10/20 – Glasgow, UK @ O2 ABC
10/23 – Newcastle, UK @ The Riverside
10/24 – Leeds, UK @ University Stylus
10/25 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
10/26 – Birmingham, UK @ O2 Institute
10/27 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2
10/29 – Oxford, UK @ O2 Academy
10/30 – Lille, FR @ L’Aeronef
11/01 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
11/02 – Leffinge, NL @ Zaal De Zwerver
11/03 – Dusseldorf, DE @ Zaak
11/04 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
11/06 – Groningen, NL @ Vera
11/08 – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen
11/09 – Hamburg, DE @ Knust
11/10 – Leipzig, DE @ UT Connewitz
11/11 – Berlin, DE @ SO36
11/13 – Prague, CZ @ Futurum
11/14 – Vienna, AT @ Flex Cafe
11/16 – Munich, DE @ Ampere
11/17 – St. Gallen, CH @ Palace
11/18 – Dudingen, CH @ Bad Bonn
11/19 – Zurich, CH @ Mascotte
11/20 – Lausanne, CH @ Les Docks
11/22 – Milan, IT @ Circolo Magnolia
11/23 – Lyon, FR @ Epicerie Moderne
11/24 – Bordeaux, FR @ Rock School Barbey
11/26 – Porto, PT @ Hard Club
11/27 – Lisbon, PT @ Lisboa ao Vivo
11/29 – Madrid, ES @ Moby Dick
11/30 – Barcelona, ES @ Razzmatazz
12/01 – Toulouse, FR @ Connexion Live
