10 Near Perfect Post Punk Albums

IDLES have gone from strength to strength since their debut in 2017. They've stomped their way into the mainstream, rising above other post punk revivalists with their ferocious blending of hardcore and alt rock.

You'd think after three albums of aggressively political sentiment - set to equally aggressive guitars - they'd be running out of steam. And they certainly haven't been without their detractors. Joe Talbot has received a healthy dose of criticism for using sloganeering to win points with the more woke amongst society. Toxic masculinity, misogyny, homophobia, racism, these are the topics he often covers. His tendency to keep hammering his stance home, has left some calling into question the group's ability for nuance, and even their sincerity. But these guys aren't just jumping on the woke band wagon to sell tickets to liberal students, these are topics they truly care about.

Talbot still barks like a pit bull on their fourth album - as if to challenge his haters - and they still yield a fair amount of territory over to social commentary set to thrashing instrumentation. But it does seem like they've paid attention to their critics, however. They're exploring more ground with tracks like MTT 420 RR and The Beachland Ballroom. Both songs hear the band slow everything down to wallow in the themes of near death experience and depression.