Orange County, Californian hard rock trio Idlewar officially unveil their ‘Impulse’ full-length debut. Produced by drummer Pete Pagonis and mastered by Brian Lucey (Ghost ‘Meliora’, Black Keys ‘El Camino’, Arctic Monkeys ‘AM’, plus albums by David, ‘Twin Peaks’ ‘Dune’, Lynch) the new album is released 30th September 2016 via PHD, and delivers a truly rewarding enriched audio landscape.
Impulse by Idlewar is a dark, brooding and tenacious record enthused with a tasty dosage of defiance entwined into those crazily-crafted guitar riffs and chords. Feeling like the audible equivalent to flipping the bird, the record feels like it’s making a positive ‘fuck you’ to the listeners, who may be looking for a punkish demeanour when browsing for the ultimate rock record.
With the motion of the record going off with a bang, Stone In My Heel is possibly the most punkish soliloquy to the issue of having a stone in your shoe. Who knows how many screams of anguish can be derived from band vocalist James Blake’s loud Queens of the Stone Age-esque lyrics on the track.
There is no warm up with the record, do not expect any opening tracks to help you delve into the album slowly. The band pulls no punches and instead opts for the louder, faster, harder route. If there was a choice on what were the best tracks on the album, then it would have to be All That I Got, Apathy and On Our Knees. Each track is a tour de force unto itself and has all the ingredients necessary for a rock record. Punkish guitars; deep, sloppy overdrive and an opportunity to form a mosh pit every other second; the possibilities are endless.
Idlewar have definitely made the mark with this album and proved themselves as a rock band worthy of the listener gaining a sweat over. By all means listen to this record and mosh away friend.
TRACKLIST
Stone In My Heel
Soul
Criminal
All That I Got
Innocent
Glory
Apathy
Damage
Burn All This
On Our Knees
by Joseph Wilson
