Idles unleash War, the fifth single from new album Ultra Mono

(Image credit: Tom Ham)

Ultra Mono, the eagerly-anticipated follow-up to Idle’s 2018 album Joy As An Act Of Resistance, is released today (September 25), and the Bristol band have marked the occasion with the release of another track from the album, ferocious opener War.

As the song concludes with vocalist Joe Talbot solemnly intoning “And we’re all going straight to hell” it’s an appropriate apocalyptic taster for an album which Classic Rock reviewer Everett True hails as “smart, acerbic and politically charged in its bleakness.”

Featuring scenes of drug use, bloody hands and hospital beds, the video isn’t exactly feel-good either, but it’s another memorable salvo from Britain’s most popular punks.

Ultra Mono features guest vocals from Savages vocalist Jehnny Beth, alongside guest contributions from Bad Seeds/Grinderman multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis, The Jesus Lizard’s David Yow and jazz pianist Jamie Cullum. The band have previously shared four tracks from the album, Mr. Motivator, Grounds, A Hymn and Model Village.

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