Grade: C
UK Punk rockers IDLES return with their brand new LP Crawler. In the 2010’s, Idles built up a reputation as one of the most raw bands to come out of the UK. Their projects Brutalism and Joy were highly charged political pieces that managed to cover a large variety of subjects from Brexit to self care. Their last project Ultramono was their loudest, and most ferocious record, yet received mixed reviews from critics and fans alike. Crawler represents a change of pace for the band.
While IDLES try new things and make a more versatile record than their previous project, Crawler fails to live up to most of their previous work. There’s an experimental current that runs through many of the tracks on this record that make it standout from other IDLES projects. But these tend to come toward the end of the record, and songs like “Progress” with its focus on drone and atmosphere, or the track “Wizz” which feels like a hardcore song condensed into 30 seconds. “The New Sensation” managed to get me to want to actually stand up and dance like the song suggested, and I loved how “The Beachland Ballroom” sounded like if post-punk did Arctic Monkeys.
Although there were definitely moments of greatness for this record, there were also times when it didn’t live up to other Idles songs. Rather than embracing the differences that made them stand out in their early years, IDLES turns to old cliches of the genre to pad some of the album.
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