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Grounds
Punk · 2020

Grounds

IDLES

A punishing, industrial-tinged stomp built on a hip-hop cadence and a defiant mantra. It sounds like a heart beating through a suit of armor.

June 16, 2020 · Partisan Records

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Grounds represents a pivot for IDLES toward a more mechanical, impact-heavy sound that trades the frantic energy of their earlier work for a steady, crushing momentum. It is a track built on the power of the stomp, utilizing a minimalist arrangement where every element is cranked to its absolute limit. The production is dense and highly compressed, making the drums feel less like a kit and more like a hydraulic press. It is the sound of radical empathy hardened into a defensive shell, designed to be played at volumes that rattle the floorboards.

Moments Worth Listening For
the way the guitar mimics a high-pitched alarm during the verses, creating a sense of immediate urban emergency
the transition from the sparse, rhythmic verses to the explosive, wall-of-sound chorus asking if you hear the thunder
the final repetition of the phrase I am I where the instrumentation strips back to just the punishing, distorted drum beat
Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does Grounds sound next to the rest of IDLES's catalogue?

Chanting+4.0σ

The vocals lean far further into chanting than the rest of the catalogue.

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