The first studio album by the Bristol band IDLES introduces their style of politically driven lyrics over raw, energetic riffs.
“Mother” shows the struggle working class mothers go through and how the media can be used to manipulate people. Vocalist Joe Talbot uses the term ‘motherfucker’ to show that the system is the one fucking over the mothers. Talbot further expands the themes of mothers on the song “Divide And Conquer”, which is about the privatisation ... read more

Like with Everything Everything’s previous album A Fever Dream, most of the lyrical themes are political, but this time they have a bigger focus on environmental issues such as global warming and climate change. It’s also a bit more upbeat than that album, with a bigger focus on synths and a more pop rock style. Jonathan Higgs, the lead vocalist of the band, can sell paranoia and stress well thanks to the vulnerable tone of his falsetto.
“Arch Enemy” showcases some ... read more

A calmer contrast to their 2000’s material. The Universal Want shows Doves coming back after 11 years with a more atmospheric style. Not much has changed in the instrumentation, though there are more pianos, as well as an added usage of Public Service Broadcasting esque vocal samples. Oh, and there’s the use of a saxophone and a harpsichord on “Cathedrals Of The Mind”. The harpsichord is used to evoke imagery of a cathedral, whilst the saxophone gives off some nice jazz ... read more

Doves has a moody style of rock. But on this album, they add some extra instruments to spice it up. And what better example to show this than “Friday’s Dust”. On that song, we get sul ponticello strings, echoing vocals, bassoon and a mellotron flute. The textures are almost orchestral.
The lyrical themes mainly revolve around self esteem and mental health, as well as drug abuse hinted in “The Sulphur Man” ('Pills stopped you / Stopped you feeling life'). ... read more