Ultra Mono

IDLES built Ultra Mono around blunt phrases and forceful repetition, making Joe Talbot's voice another rhythmic element in an already crowded band sound. The guitars scrape and collide while the bass and drums keep a firm pulse underneath. Its confrontational character comes through before every lyric has registered.

“Grounds” and “Mr. Motivator” show how the group turns a short refrain into a whole song's engine. Other moments let more space enter the arrangement, but the record repeatedly returns to that direct relationship between language and impact.