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**IDLES - Joy As An Act Of Resistance ★★★★☆**

Before we dive into the sonic maelstrom that is IDLES' sophomore masterpiece, let's address the elephant in the room: yes, these Bristol bruisers have since evolved beyond the raw fury captured on "Joy As An Act Of Resistance," but that evolution makes this 2018 release all the more precious—a perfect snapshot of a band channeling grief, rage, and hope into something genuinely transcendent.

The backstory reads like a punk rock fever dream filtered through genuine human tragedy. Following their 2017 debut "Brutalism," which dealt unflinchingly with frontman Joe Talbot's mother's death from cancer, IDLES found themselves thrust into the spotlight while still processing profound loss. Rather than retreat or soften their approach, they doubled down, crafting an album that transforms personal and political anguish into something approaching catharsis. The title isn't just clever wordplay—it's a manifesto.

Musically, "Joy As An Act Of Resistance" sits somewhere between the primal scream therapy of early Fugazi and the working-class anthems of The Clash, but with a distinctly modern edge that acknowledges both toxic masculinity and the healing power of vulnerability. This isn't your father's punk rock, though it certainly shares DNA with the genre's most politically charged moments. The band—rounded out by guitarists Mark Bowen and Lee Kiernan, bassist Adam Devonshire, and drummer Jon Beavis—creates a wall of sound that's simultaneously crushing and uplifting, like being hugged by a freight train.

The album opens with "Colossus," a seven-minute epic that builds from whispered confessions to full-throated roars, with Talbot declaring "I was done in on the weekend / The weekend lasted twenty years." It's an immediate statement of intent: this isn't going to be easy listening, but it might just save your life. The track serves as both exorcism and rebirth, setting the stage for what follows.

"Never Fight A Man With A Perm" stands as perhaps the album's most immediate triumph, a swaggering takedown of toxic masculinity wrapped in an absolutely irresistible groove. Talbot's observations about modern British machismo are both hilarious and cutting, delivered over a rhythm section that could level buildings. It's the rare protest song that makes you want to dance while reconsidering your entire worldview.

Equally essential is "Samaritans," which tackles male suicide rates and emotional repression with the subtlety of a brick through a window—which is exactly what the subject demands. "The mask of masculinity is a mask that's wearing me," Talbot howls, transforming personal revelation into universal truth. Meanwhile, "I'm Scum" flips self-deprecation into self-acceptance, turning potential weakness into defiant strength.

The album's secret weapon might be "June," a tender tribute to Talbot's daughter that strips away the bombast to reveal the beating heart beneath all the noise. It's a reminder that for all their sound and fury, IDLES are fundamentally about love—messy, complicated, fierce love that refuses to be contained by conventional expressions.

Sonically, the production by Space captures the band's live intensity without sacrificing clarity. Every guitar screech and drum crack hits with purpose, while Talbot's vocals swing from intimate whispers to primal screams often within the same verse. The band's use of dynamics—quiet verses exploding into massive choruses—creates an emotional rollercoaster that mirrors the psychological journey they're documenting.

"Joy As An Act Of Resistance" arrived at a perfect cultural moment, speaking to Brexit-era British anxiety while offering a template for processing trauma through community and creativity. The album's influence on subsequent UK punk and post-punk acts cannot be overstated, inspiring everyone from Fontaines D.C. to Shame to embrace both political engagement and emotional honesty.

Five years on, the album stands as a high-water mark for politically conscious rock music, proof that punk's revolutionary spirit can evolve without losing its bite. While IDLES have continued to grow and experiment on subsequent releases, "Joy As An Act Of Resistance" captures them at their most essential—a band transforming pain into power, despair into defiance, and isolation into community. In an era of manufactured outrage and performative politics, IDLES offered something increasingly rare: genuine emotion channeled through uncompromising art. The joy is real,