Idles is an English post-punk band formed in Bristol in 2009, now a defining force in contemporary British punk — shouted vocals, dual-guitar attack, and a fiercely political heart. Joy as an Act of Resistance (2018) hit number five on the UK chart and remains the best first listen; Crawler runs deeper. Shop Idles vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Idles formed in Bristol, England in 2009. After early underground activity, they signed with Balley Records (later partnered with Partisan Records) and released their debut Brutalism in 2017. Their 2018 sophomore album Joy as an Act of Resistance reached number five on the UK Albums Chart, with critical attention to the band's anti-toxic-masculinity, anti-Brexit, and pro-immigrant political content. They have become defining figures in contemporary British post-punk alongside Fontaines D.C., Shame, Black Country New Road, and others.
Idles' sound combines post-punk, punk rock, art punk, alternative rock, and hardcore punk with Talbot's distinctive shouted vocal delivery, intricate dual guitar work, and politically engaged lyrical content addressing masculinity, class consciousness, immigration, mental health, and grief.
Partisan pressings of the Idles catalog have been issued in extensive color variant editions and limited deluxe pressings.
Listeners new to Idles typically start with Joy as an Act of Resistance (2018) or Crawler (2021).
