An oft-used phrase is that a band/song feels like it’s going to fall off the cliff at any moment. Well, Aussie Hardcore punks Idylls are back once again to make your brains descend from your earholes, actively looking for the precipice, and then some, with their new album The Barn (Holy Roar).
Embracing the kind of abrasive sound brought to the fore by the likes of Converge, this is metallic hardcore punk with the thickest layer of crust, what Idylls have in their locker is a sound that seeks to truly unnerve and challenge you for every single second of The Barn’s runtime.
As such, it’s a tough job to pick a “hit” song here one that delivers over all the others as the album is just something that kind of melds into one truly unforgiving listening experience. There are, however, some notable shifts in gear, such as the more riff-based song ‘Muck And Vulnerability’. This shift sees the band straying into an area that you would not think they would stray into. But again to reiterate The Barn is always looking to challenge your preconceptions from one track to the next.
‘Maslows Dogs’ is a real moment for the album in terms of light and shade. With the track coming halfway through the record, it adds another shift in gears to the whole experience. Here, there is an almost a more considered approach but all the time maintaining that sense of menace and ferociousness found on the faster songs.
The vocals are truly something to behold such is the variation in styles and delivery it always brings so much to each track, perfectly complementing the unhinged feel to the musicianship of the band: at points it goes from full-on Jacob Bannon screaming to an almost King Buzzo style drawl, while the production job is outstanding as everything is perfectly brought together and the unrelenting noise is given as much clarity as is humanly possible, this can’t have been an easy album to mix.
Idylls are a band that deal in creating a wall of madness and ferocity which stretches every sinew in not only yours, but also their, body. The Barn is a furious, rewarding thrill-ride of album that will keep you guessing and entertained for many, many listens.
8.5/10
KIERAN MITCHELL