Ultra Mono
Ultra Mono is the third studio album by British rock band Idles, released on 25 September 2020 by Partisan Records. Following on from their previous album Joy as an Act of Resistance, the album further explores themes established in the band's previous works such as critique of capitalism, revolution, class struggle, mental health and toxic masculinity, as well as the positive and negative aspects of the band's newfound fame. The record was supported by five singles prior to its release, the first of which was the promotional single "Mr. Motivator", released on 19 May 2020. This was followed by the lead single "Grounds" on 16 June 2020, "A Hymn" on 14 July 2020, "Model Village" on 11 August 2020 and "War" which coincided with the release of the album on 25 September 2020. Background and production Following the release and success of their 2018 album Joy as an Act of Resistance, Idles received mainstream attention and toured extensively in support of it. The band confirmed in an Instagram post in January 2019 that they were writing new music and in March, debuted a new song called "War" during an exclusive show for Dr. Martens. Another new song, "Grounds", was debuted in Glasgow during the band's UK tour in December 2019. Both songs were played at the band's final show of the tour at Alexandra Palace alongside another new track called "Danke". In an interview with DIY following the album's announcement in June 2020, lead singer Joe Talbot opened up about the themes and inspiration behind the album, saying: "Emotionally I’m not healed, I’m healing and that’s what’s on the record. So this one is about processing and finding pragmatic ways of moving forward, and from your reaction to that trauma, you build something concise and beautiful (...) the songs are all projections of inner workings, I’m not preaching or telling anyone else what to do. I’m showing people what I’m doing to become a better person in the long run - no, not better, but a more productive person.” Ultra Mono was recorded throughout 2019 and the band documented the process, intermittently sharing images of themselves on social media in the studio throughout the year, with one post teasing an appearance from Warren Ellis. In an interview with Zane Lowe in December 2019, Talbot confirmed that they had finished recording the album and that it was being mixed. The band worked with returning Joy producers Nick Launay and Adam ‘Atom’ Greenspan on the album, with additional programming provided by Kenny Beats and additional guest appearances from Jehnny Beth, David Yow and Jamie Cullum. Release and promotion On 19 May 2020, Idles released "Mr. Motivator" as a promotional single from the album. This was preceded by a light-hearted post on the band's Instagram account on 15 May which invited their audience to "get physical with Dev," featuring bassist Adam Devonshire working out and quoting lyrics from the song. In keeping with the announcement's theme, the song's music video featured a montage