Bristol rock band IDLES have released their fourth full-length album CRAWLER, as of Friday November 12th. The album comes just over a year after the band’s last LP Ultra Mono.
“CRAWLER” is our album. We love it so much & cannot wait to see it manifest. Thank you to all who have supported us throughout the pandemic, allowing us the grace of time & safety to reflect and make our most lucid work to date.
LOVE
OUT NOW: https://t.co/cgG3UgsdE0 pic.twitter.com/xeqJ3j5LUP
— I D L E S (@idlesband) November 12, 2021
Prior to the album’s release, the band put out two singles: “The Beachland Ballroom” in September, and “Car Crash” earlier this month. These singles showed-off two completely different sides of the band, with The Beachland Ballroom featuring an almost punk-goes-soul instrumental, while “Car Crash” is defined by its menacing build, guitar feedback and distorted vocals.
As it would happen, this was only a miniscule glimpse into the sonic world of CRAWLER. The album delivers a myriad of different sounds, such as the brooding, buzzing electronic sound of album opener “MTT 420”, the atmospheric guitar soundscape of “When The Lights Come On” and the surf rock-esque sound of “Stockholm Syndrome”. There are most certainly echoes of past albums strewn throughout, with aggressive vocals and prominent, grinding basslines, however it would be an understatement to say that CRAWLER marks a clear evolutionary step for the band.
In a recent interview with NME, singer Joe Talbot spoke of a change in his mindset from the scathing anger of Ultra Mono, saying; “I’m not defensive, I’m not angry. I’m not scared anymore, and I was when I wrote that album…There was so much going on around me and I was losing control of our narrative. Instead of being mindful and holding myself accountable, I was fighting.”
Talbot also stated that between Ultra Mono and CRAWLER, the band has “taken control” of their narrative; “I was in therapy for two years, and it made me realise that I was angry at the wrong people. The critics weren’t the ones that were wrong – I was. It’s beautiful, because now I can see ‘Ultra Mono’ for what it is – an amazing live album, with a few songs where I was really lost.”
CRAWLER is available on all streaming services, and the band also has numerous vinyl variants and other physical media of the album available for purchase.
IDLES will also be embarking on a UK tour in January of next year, and also have one more UK show left this year. The upcoming tour will include four consecutive shows at O2 Brixton Academy in London. Tickets can be bought here, and the dates are listed below.
2021 Dates
18/11/2021- EartH Hall- London
2022 Dates
16/01/2022- O2 Academy Brixton- London
17/01- O2 Academy Brixton- London
18/01- O2 Academy Brixton- London
19/01- O2 Academy Brixton- London
21/01- Motorpoint Arena Cardiff- Cardiff
22/01- O2 Academy- Birmingham
24/01- Vicar Street- Dublin
25/01- Vicar Street- Dublin
26/01- Vicar Street- Dublin
28/01- O2 Victoria Warehouse- Manchester
29/01- O2 Victoria Warehouse- Manchester
30/01- O2 Victoria Warehouse- Manchester
01/02- O2 Academy- Sheffield
02/02- O2 City Hall- Newcastle
03/02- Barrowland Ballroom- Glasgow
04/02- Barrowland Ballroom- Glasgow
05/02- Barrowland Ballroom- Glasgow
