Regardless of whether this album changes any stubborn minds on Idles as a band, it is a phenomenal achievement. They have matched their last album, Joy as an Act of Resistance, in terms of quality. It is a release that reaffirms that they are deserving of their position as one of a small handful of current rock groups that sit in the public’s consciousness.
It may be easy to write off initially as preachy or reductive but the sharp, self-aware wit and incisive simplicity in the band’s best lyrics make it clear its members are no intellectual slouches.
At root ... Ultra Mono's strengths are inseparable from its flaws. In fact, some of the crudest lyrics, like Reigns or the condescending Brexitland caricature Model Village, are framed by the most irresistible music. IDLES's brute-force catharsis neither requires nor rewards subtlety.
Ultra Mono scours like bleach, its fury a purifier.
Emotionally draining, masculine in a forward-looking sense, fragmented but bone-shakingly whole.
IDLES know how hard it is out there, now more than ever, but that's all the more reason for raised fists and unceasing resistance. Last time they did it joyfully, and before that, they did it brutally. Now those elements come together, whether for a fight or a moment of gratitude.
It's a one-tone listen. But that shout-in-your-face directness is exactly what makes Ultra Mono so powerful. This is rock music that compels you to pay attention.
Bristol punks IDLES deliver a state of the world address in sharp, stark, brilliant fashion with Ultra Mono.
On 'Ultra Mono' IDLES push the boundaries of what has been expected from them with rightly-earned brazen confidence that has resulted in their best work to date. This is a band who no longer need to prove themselves.
For all of the ugly rage and fury at modern life on display here, it is also a celebration of the beauty that can happen when people come together in love and unity to face the turmoil and traumas of an increasingly angry, shouty, scary world, and facing it armed only with a hug.
Ultra Mono is Idles' most sonically and thematically focused album so far, occasionally to a slight fault.
At its strongest, Ultra Mono offers a fresh set of urgent rallying cries for anyone interested in furthering workers’ rights, dismantling systemic racism, and knocking out a few Nazi teeth. The record’s missteps mostly come when Talbot finds himself on the defensive, a position that finds him turning out poison-pen responses to critics that probably felt better to sing than they do to hear.
Their schtick isn’t tired yet, the humour is as enjoyable as it ever was, and the world is still in a grim enough state that every emission from Joe Talbot is welcome. Ultra Mono is not a record to change anybody’s mind about IDLES, nor is it a sign of any dropoff in form.
Musically, Ultra Mono is as tight, ballistic, and in your face as IDLES have ever been ... Lyrically, Ultra Mono is louder – and prouder – than the band have ever been.
IDLES are at their best when they know their limits and play to their strengths. Like a hard liquor, they're harsh, bitter and indelibly intoxicating. They will provoke you to join a mosh pit or ram your head into a wall, and they might prompt you to vote Labour in the next election.
Without applying any analysis, there is much to enjoy here; their raucous energy shines just as bright, but underneath the surface Ultra Mono lacks the sparkle that made their first two records truly special.
Ultra Mono is an enjoyable but ideologically confused record and one in which some of IDLES best material must compensate for some of their worst.
It’s unsubtle and it’s inconsistent, but Ultra Mono has an awkward frankness to it that isn’t entirely without charm.
It’s an intoxicating racket, and they remain formidably tight, but Idles’ most powerful statement may be behind them.
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#8 | / | Sound Opinions: Greg Kot |
#10 | / | MondoSonoro |
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#12 | / | MOJO |
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#16 | / | NBHAP |
#19 | / | Kerrang! |