10 Best Rock Songs Of The 2020s (So Far)
4. The Beachland Ballroom - IDLES
This is how you reinvent the rock ballad. Joe Talbot's previous vocal performances captured peoples attention with an aggressive ferocity. His approach was smash and grab, short punchy lines that were screamed with a passion that made you listen, rather than winning you over with soothing melodies.
But with this track, he came out of his comfort zone and injected a healthy degree of soul into IDLES new album. The heavy guitar is still present to punctuate the song with a healthy amount of attitude, but this is by far the bands most tender and vulnerable number to date. With the band playing the song like a slow and sombre ballroom waltz, they've opened up a whole new space for Talbot to exist in.
He still utilities his signature raging vocals at times, but with this track he plays with a range that until now has been unheard of from the tattooed Bristolian. The album on a whole, finds the group playing with new sonic spaces, with many of the tracks feelings like early Joy Division numbers.
This track is still unapologetically IDLES, but it's IDLES like you've never heard them before.