New York, NY (Top40 Charts) IDLES have announced the Nov. 12 Partisan Records release of CRAWLER, the U.K. group's fourth album in as many years and the follow-up to their first No. 1, 2020's Ultra Mono. The 14-track project was recorded at the famed Real World Studios in Bath during the COVID-19 pandemic and co-produced by Kenny Beats (Vince Staples, Freddie Gibbs) and IDLES guitarist Mark Bowen.
First single "The Beachland Ballroom," named after the iconic Ohio venue, is an honest-to-goodness soul song featuring a gorgeous, gripping vocal performance from frontman Joe Talbot. It's available to stream now and is accompanied by an official video directed by LOOSE.
Says Talbot of the track, "It's the most important song on the album, really. There's so many bands that go through the small rooms and dream of making it into the big rooms. Being able to write a soul tune like this made me go, fuck — we're at a place where we're actually allowed to go to these big rooms and be creative and not just go through the motions and really appreciate what we've got. The song is sort of an allegory of feeling lost and getting through it. It's one that I really love singing."
Adds Bowen, "I didn't know Joe could sing like that. He's been trying to write 'Be My Baby' since the very beginning, but he didn't want to be the punk guy wearing the Motown clothes. He wanted it to feel natural, and this song is."
On CRAWLER, the group brings to life vivid stories of trauma, addiction and recovery with its most soul-stirring music to date. There are, of course, numerous moments that will inspire absolute mayhem in a packed concert venue this fall, like the warped glam rock of "The Wheel," the 30-second grindcore slap to the head of "Wizz" and the unhinged, pulverizing bass-and-drum groove of "The New Sensation." But there are also fresh textures and experiments that push IDLES into thrilling new territory, like the alternate universe marching band anthem "
Stockholm Syndrome" and "Progress," a "mantra of realization" that soothes both body and mind in a way few IDLES songs ever have before.
CRAWLER tracklisting:
MTT 420 RR
The Wheel
When the
Lights Come On
Car Crash
The New Sensation
Stockholm Syndrome
The Beachland Ballroom
Crawl!
Meds
Kelechi
Progress
Wizz
King Snake
The End
IDLES will return to live performance on a sold-out North American tour that begins Oct. 7 in St. Paul, MN., and will embark on a European tour starting Jan. 16 in London.
IDLES 2021 tour dates:
Oct. 7: Saint Paul, Mn. (Palace Theatre)
Oct. 8:
Chicago (Riviera Theatre - SOLD OUT)
Oct. 9:
Detroit (Saint Andrew's Hall - SOLD OUT)
Oct. 10: Columbus, Ohio (Newport
Music Hall - SOLD OUT)
Oct. 12:
Boston (House of Blues - SOLD OUT)
Oct. 13: Philadelphia (The Fillmore)
Oct. 15: New York (Terminal 5 - SOLD OUT)
Oct. 16: New York (Terminal 5)
Oct. 17-18: Washington, D.C. (9:30 Club - SOLD OUT)
Oct. 20: Asheville, N.C. (The
Orange Peel - SOLD OUT)
Oct. 21: Nashville (Cannery Ballroom - SOLD OUT)
Oct. 22: Atlanta (Heaven at the Masquerade)
Oct. 25: Austin,
Texas (Stubb's - SOLD OUT)
Oct. 26: Dallas (Granada Theater - SOLD OUT)
Oct. 27: San Antonio, Tx. (Paper Tiger - SOLD OUT)
Oct. 28:
Phoenix (The Pressroom - SOLD OUT)
Oct. 30-31: Pioneertown, Calif. (Pappy & Harriet's - SOLD OUT)
Nov. 1: Pomona, Calif. (Glass House - SOLD OUT)
Nov. 3-5: Los Angeles (Fonda Theatre - SOLD OUT)
Nov. 6: San Francisco (The Warfield - SOLD OUT)
Nov. 8: Portland, Ore. (Crystal Ballroom - SOLD OUT)
Nov. 9: Seattle (Showbox - SOLD OUT)
Nov. 10: Seattle (Showbox SoDo - SOLD OUT).
