IDLES announce fifth anniversary ‘Brutalism’ reissue

IDLES have announced a reissue of their 2017 debut album ‘Brutalism’ to mark five years since it first arrived.

Set to arrive on December 9, the new ‘5 Years Of Brutalism’ edition will feature alternate artwork designed by frontman Joe Talbot, and will be pressed on cherry red vinyl. Digital versions will also feature a live album, taken from the band’s secret set on the BBC Introducing Stage during Glastonbury this year, in which they performed ‘Brutalism’ in full.

“What started as a headstone slab of indulgence and unrest became a long journey of beauty, forgiveness, and gratitude,” Talbot wrote in a statement announcing the reissue. “Little did we know that it was not just a headstone but the foundations we were building, for a house full to the brim with loving human beings. Thank you so so much.”

To coincide with the announcement, the band have shared a live version of ‘Brutalism’ track ‘1049 Gotho’ taken from their BBC Introducing at Glastonbury performance. Listen to that below – pre-orders for ‘5 Years Of Brutalism’ are available here.

‘Brutalism’ was released in March of 2017, marking the band’s first full-length release after 2012 EP ‘Welcome’ and its 2015 follow-up ‘Meat’. NME described the album as an “expletive-laden, punk triumph that tackles the current Tory rule, toxic masculinity and mental health” upon its release, calling it “utterly vital”.

IDLES have gone on to release three more albums since ‘Brutalism’ arrived: 2018 follow-up ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’, 2020’s ‘Ultra Mono’ and last year’s ‘Crawler’. Speaking to NME at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, guitarist Mark Bowen reflected on where the band have evolved to.

“There’s a new hunger and a new intent within the band to reach these new pinnacles. We’ve got our eyes on Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. We’ve got our eyes on Radiohead; we’ve got our eyes on Paul McCartney. We’ve got a little taste of it, but we want to get in on it,” Bowen said.

“And that’s not [about] the headline shows or the million monthly Spotify listeners or any of that nonsense. It’s actually being ubiquitous and being so good at your craft and so good at your live shows. We’re just hungry for it, so that’s what we’re bringing.”

Last month, Florence + The Machine shared a remix of ‘Dance Fever’ cut ‘Heaven Is Here’ by IDLES, with a club-ready reimagining helmed by Bowen that more than doubled the song’s original runtime. Florence Welch called IDLES “one of [her] favourite bands” in a statement, saying she had been wanting to work with the group for some time.