Joy as an Act of Resistance
Second album by British rock band Idles.
Joy as an Act of Resistance is the second studio album by British rock band Idles, released on 31 August 2018 by Partisan Records. It draws inspiration from a 2008 poem by Toi Derricotte and tells stories from lead singer Joe Talbot's troubled past. The album peaked at number 5 on the UK Albums Chart and received critical acclaim.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Idles
- Released
- 31 August 2018
- Recorded
- 2017–2018
- Genre
- Punk rock
- post-punk
- post-hardcore
- Length
- 42:14
- Label
- Partisan
- Producer
- Space
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colossus | 5:39 |
| 2 | Never Fight a Man with a Perm | 3:48 |
| 3 | I'm Scum | 3:09 |
| 4 | Danny Nedelko | 3:24 |
| 5 | Love Song | 3:05 |
| 6 | June | 3:35 |
| 7 | Samaritans | 3:30 |
| 8 | Television | 3:12 |
| 9 | Great | 2:44 |
| 10 | Gram Rock | 2:29 |
| 11 | Cry to Me (Solomon Burke cover) | 2:14 |
| 12 | Rottweiler | 5:25 |
| Total length | 42:14 | |
Track listing from the source article.
Production and composition
Recording began in 2017. Singer Joe Talbot said the album aimed to encourage vulnerability, calling it "a brave naked smile in this shitty new world." Many songs were scrapped due to pressure to sustain the success of Brutalism; the band discussed why they were not enjoying writing and started over. The album was produced by Paul Frazer (known as SPACE) and mixed by Adam Greenspan and Nick Launay. Its cover art shows a photograph of a 1968 wedding fight that Talbot found on Instagram. The title phrase resembles Toi Derricotte's 2008 poem "Joy Is An Act of Resistance."
Lyrics
The album tackles toxic masculinity, love, self-love, immigration, Brexit, and class. The track "June" addresses the stillbirth of Joe Talbot's daughter Agatha. A cover of Solomon Burke's "Cry To Me" appears. In an interview, Talbot explained writing about his troubled history, the link between personal stories and political songs, his daughter's death, toxic masculinity, Brexit, and his disdain for tabloid journalism. The songs are rooted in real life, such as a compassionate view of immigration based on his friend Danny Nedelko.
Promotion and release
Before the album came out, four songs were released as downloads: "Colossus," "Danny Nedelko," "Samaritans," and "Great." The band planned a world tour through Japan, North America, and Europe. A London art show opened the day before the release, selling album-inspired pieces to benefit the Samaritans charity. Talbot also discussed the album in an ITV News at Ten interview.
Reception
Joy as an Act of Resistance was met with widespread critical acclaim. NME awarded five stars, calling it "an instant classic." The Guardian gave four stars, describing it as "11 songs of focused, cathartic rage" and calling Idles "Britain's most necessary band." The Independent also gave four stars. Drowned in Sound scored it 9 out of 10, calling it "the most relevant and at times gut wrenching album of the year." Classic Rock gave the same score, calling it "a heart-breaking but jubilant exploration of joy, honesty, fragility and expression." Louder Than War called it "one of the most inspiring albums I have heard for a long, long time" and described it as punk rock shouting "UNITY! and LOVE IS ALL." Record Collector gave four stars, calling it "an album that manages to combine grief, self-loathing and a realisation that life's better played honest." Exclaim! called it "a cathartic masterpiece that wears its heart — broken, but still beating — on its sleeve." The Skinny gave three stars, noting that many songs "raise some serious hell" but viewed the tracks as too similar. PopMatters gave 9/10, commenting on "a profound sense of joy on the album." AllMusic concluded that the album "upholds their status as one of the U.K.'s most exciting new acts."
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