IDLES, the kings of post-punk from Bristol, are back. If "Joy As An Act Of Resistance" was meant to detail the band's manifesto, the highly anticipated third album from the band, "Ultra Mono", is the sound of IDLES heading to the front for these principles, the battering ram in hand. Musically constructed to capture the feeling of a hip-hop album (Kenny Beats also contributed to the programming on several tracks), the songs have a double language, mixing vitriolic sneers with direct social commentary on the band's past work. Not far beneath the surface of the slogan they have given themselves lies a deeply complex and brutally relevant album that chews up clichés and spits them out as great art for the masses. Active presence and self-acceptance are also at the heart of "Ultra Mono", most of whose songs were written in the recording studio, and the phrase "I am I" serves as a lyrical and spiritual mantra. Ultimately, "Ultra Mono" is a celebration of community, the one that IDLES have been striving to build since their beginnings, to form something greater than themselves. As their audience grows, initially drawn by a sense of not belonging, they are together creating a diverse congregation of people that offers each of them their place.
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