Heartbreaking Bravery

There’s a very real chance that IDLES might wind up sneering and snarling their way into a handful of coveted Album of the Year slots with their forthcoming Joy As An Act of Resistance. Virtually everything the band’s done ahead of the release has been nothing short of incredible, from pointed push backs to xenophobic sentiments and stolen gestures to the measured sprawl and slow-burning intensity of a frustration framed in 4:3.

The quintet’s latest unveiling, “Samaritans”, finds the band relentless attacking toxic masculinity to staggering effect. While there aren’t a lot of problematic sociopolitical topics that richly benefit from being led by white men, toxic masculinity is one that definitely qualifies. Having a vocal guidance that comes from men who look tough and present in a traditionally masculine way is a way that can cut through a very tired form of presumption with an exacting precision that sometimes finds a way to tower over the interfering noise.

To that end, “Samaritans” isn’t just powerful but deeply important. IDLES have been making their name on relentlessly aggressive hardcore-adjacent punk that fearlessly invokes progressive politics. To put it as bluntly as possible, IDLES could very well be the most important punk band on the planet. We don’t need men — especially white men — to control and lead conversations about every aspect of sociopolitical regression but to have some who are legitimately enraged by those instances, who are lending both their voice and platform to a way that meaningfully addresses societal ills is vital; this is the space where IDLES are making their presence felt.

“Samaritans” is as necessary as anything in IDLES’ discography thus far, driven by venomous bite and loathing for a status quo that shouldn’t exist — a fact driven home by the video’s presentation of stock footage, a stark reminder of toxic masculinity’s insidious totality. This is why you never see your father cry / this is why you never see your father is the unforgettable hook that informs a song that’s been constructed by history and given extra weight by the tumultuous nature of what that history has entailed. Everything here, as is typically the case with IDLES songs, carries the scars of experience. They’re also buoyed by an increasing prominence in modern opinion that things like toxic masculinity deserve a beheading.

When the guillotine drops, those sharp edges are felt. Not necessarily by the victim but by those who bear witness. IDLES have crafted their own version of that weapon with “Mother” (Heartbreaking Bravery’s Music Video of the Year for 2017), “Colossus”, “Danny Nedelko”, and a handful of others. “Samaritans” is just the latest addition to the list. While the things that are stirring up the inspiration for IDLES’ narratives may still find ways to attain prevalence, don’t expect the band to step away from a fight; this is music that’s already been bathed in blood.

Watch “Samaritans” below and pre-order Joy As An Act of Resistance from Partisan here.