A self-proclaimed "angry band" from Bristol in Southwest England, Idles take the fury of punk rock and wed it to a muscular but moody instrumental attack that matches the literate, purposeful menace of their lyrics. Idles were formed in 2010 by vocalist Joe Talbot, lead guitarist Mark Bowen, rhythm guitarist Andy S, bassist Adam Devonshire, and drummer Jon Beavis. Eager to take their music to an audience, Idles established a club night in Bristol they called Batcave, and through live work they developed a passionate local following. After distributing a homemade demo among fans, Idles released their four-track debut EP, Welcome, in August 2012. The EP quickly earned positive press, but with Idles self-financing their own recordings, it wasn't until October 2015 that they released their follow-up, Meat, another four-track EP. A month later, Meat was followed by Meta, which featured remixes of the tracks from Meat by David Pajo, Peter Robertson, Sly One, and Thom Alt J. By the time Meat had been released, Andy S had left Idles, and Lee Kiernan had taken over on guitar. As the U.K. music press became increasingly enthusiastic about Idles, the band released a single in August 2016, "Divide & Conquer," a bitter critique of budget cuts that crippled the U.K.'s National Health Service. Idles also announced that "Divide & Conquer" was the first track from their upcoming full-length debut album. The album in question, titled Brutalism, arrived in early 2017 via Balley Records and received widespread acclaim. Many noted that the refreshing, ferocious heaviness of the album, with its brilliantly satirical lyrics, was a welcome sound in the arguably imitable alternative scene. ~ Mark Deming