Joy As an Act of Resistance
by
  • Record Label:
  • Release Date:
Joy As an Act of Resistance Image
Metascore
88

Universal acclaim - based on 25 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 134 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • 10
  • 9
  • 8
  • 7
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0
  • Summary: The second full-length release for the British punk band was produced by Space and mixed by Adam Greenspan and Nick Launay.
Buy Now
Buy on

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. DIY Magazine
    Aug 31, 2018
    100
    Across its 40-odd minutes, Joy As An Act of Resistance makes you want to laugh and cry and roar into the wind and cradle your nearest and dearest. It is a beautiful slice of humanity delivered by a group of men whose vulnerability and heart has become a guiding light in the fog for an increasing community of fans who don’t just want, but need this.
  2. The Quietus
    Aug 30, 2018
    90
    Joy as an Act of Resistance is a feature-length confirmation of what many have long suspected: channelled via frontman Joe Talbot, the Bristol five-piece are striking a midpoint between polemical and impactful, the grit of which few contemporary guitar bands have any odds of outdoing.
  3. Clash Music
    Sep 4, 2018
    90
    Despite the visceral joy and catchy melodies of the music; it's Joseph Talbot’s lyrics that are the main event. Part social commentary, stand-up routine and motivational quotes lyrics.
  4. Chicago Tribune
    Aug 31, 2018
    88
    It’s a microcosm of Brexit England and Trump America, a distillation of pressure points that becomes audible with the ominous clickety-clacking drums and bass that usher in the staggering “Colossus.” And yet Talbot’s narrators find a way to rise above, and the songs turn strangely celebratory just when things seem to be bottoming out.
  5. Punknews.org (Staff)
    Sep 7, 2018
    80
    Joy as an Act of Resistance is a cohesive banner proving IDLES practice what they preach.
  6. The Independent (UK)
    Aug 30, 2018
    80
    Over a visceral torrent of motorik punk-pop pummels recalling prime Pixies or McLusky, Joe hails his “beautiful immigrant” blood brother “Danny Nedelko” and celebrates his “mongrel” upbringing on “I’m Scum”--in a world run by bullish right-wing sex pests, his aggressive compassion is a potent antidote.
  7. The Skinny
    Aug 29, 2018
    60
    Besides some pretty clear face value, there are layers, moods, attitudes and tones to dissect and unpick which are overshadowed somewhat as the album stands.

See all 25 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. CadWizard
    Aug 31, 2018
    10
    This album will make you laugh, will make you cry and everything in between, its simply stunning. To create an album like this off the backThis album will make you laugh, will make you cry and everything in between, its simply stunning. To create an album like this off the back off the debut "Brutalism" is simply amazing and just goes to show why they have been dubbed not just "Britain's" most important band but the "Worlds" most important. Do yourself a favour listen to it from start to finish and then do it again!… Expand
  2. CiphirSol
    Sep 10, 2018
    10
    "You're not a man you're a gland..." - Is an excerpt from this one that had me laughing and marked the point where I realized how good this"You're not a man you're a gland..." - Is an excerpt from this one that had me laughing and marked the point where I realized how good this project really was. Dealing in absolutes as I usually do, this one's a 10. Thanks.… Expand
  4. Marcbackman
    Sep 1, 2018
    10
    The world is messed up. Rather than drown in this pessimism, IDLES have created an album that claps along with the absurdity of modern life. IThe world is messed up. Rather than drown in this pessimism, IDLES have created an album that claps along with the absurdity of modern life. I feel like this album—along with SHAME's 'Songs of Praise—has set the benchmark in 2018 for a new era of intelligent punk-influenced guitar rock with a political and social conscience.… Expand
  5. SergioAllIndie
    Sep 17, 2018
    9
    A powerful, head-smashing, fearless, empathy-driven and empathy-aiming record. So actual, so necessary.
  6. DefinitelyMayb
    Nov 15, 2018
    9
    Personally my favorite album this year. So much energy and raw punk but scattered with clever melody hooks throughout the album. The leadPersonally my favorite album this year. So much energy and raw punk but scattered with clever melody hooks throughout the album. The lead singer has such a Johnny Rotten feel that it makes me like punk again. As historically the punk movement has been largely against the establishment and its rallying cry for individualism, its massively refreshing that the album takes almost a 180 degree and explores the absurdity of today's polarized politics whilst making it incredibly funny (ie in Blighty wants his country back... As he cries at the price of a bacon bap Islam didn't eat your hamster). You could almost call this anti-punk but its most aesthetically punk.

    Colossus, Danny Nedelko, Gram Rock and GREAT are the highlights of the album. Lots of tight drum work, a catchy jumpy baseline and infused with pop sensibility. Only criticism would be the second half of the album not as impactful as the first. Neverthelss a masterpiece here.    … Expand
  7. inoffensive
    Dec 12, 2019
    9
    Full of bangers. Almost every songs makes you want to aggressively hug someone
  8. Ricko
    Jul 12, 2019
    9
    The formula from "Brutality" is still there. The retro, raw punk. The towering drums and bass, the at times cutting, at times bludgeoningThe formula from "Brutality" is still there. The retro, raw punk. The towering drums and bass, the at times cutting, at times bludgeoning guitars. And then there are Joe Talbot's vocals, pleading for the soul of humanity with every ounce of his being. "Joy as an Act of Resistance" ups the stakes in terms of tunes. It's still IDLES but now you have an album of anthems. Starting with the suitably named "Colossus", the albums catches fires immediately. "Never Fight a Man With a Perm", "I'm Scum" and "Danny Nedelko" follow immediately, all blistering, all great and all coming in well under the 4 minute mark. The sobering "June" rightly sits at the heart of the album giving even great effect when its immediately followed by the bands standout track "Samaritans". If "Brutality" didn't take your fancy then you are unlikely to like this or ever like this band. That would be a shame as they are great. Having seen them live also gives this album a completely extra dimension.… Expand

See all 8 User Reviews

Related Articles

  1. Best of 2018, Music

    The Best Albums of 2018

    The Best Albums of 2018 Image
    Published: December 22, 2018
    We reveal the 40 highest-scoring album releases of the year, as well as some of 2018's bests and worsts in other music categories.
    More »
  2. Best of 2018, Music

    Best of 2018: Music Critic Top Ten Lists

    Best of 2018: Music Critic Top Ten Lists Image
    Published: November 26, 2018
    Over the next month, we'll be collecting year-end top 10 album lists from over 200 music critics, publications, record stores, and other sources. Find all of the individual lists and 2018's consensus rankings inside.
    More »

Awards & Rankings

10
#10 Best Album of 2018
79
#79 Most Shared Album of 2018

Current Music Releases

Full List »
100 Revolver Special Edition (Super Deluxe) [Box Set] - The Beatles
100 Live and Dangerous [Super Deluxe Edition] - Thin Lizzy
93 Desire, I Want To Turn into You - Caroline Polachek
92 Divine Symmetry: The Journey to Hunky Dory [Box Set] - David Bowie
91 Travel - The Necks
91 Live at the Whisky 1977 [Box Set] - Cheap Trick
90 S.O.S. - SZA
90 Manzanita - Shana Cleveland
90 False Lankum - Lankum
89 Live at the Fillmore, 1997 - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
88 12 - Ryuichi Sakamoto
88 Angel Numbers - Hamish Hawk
88 Angels & Queens, Pt. 1 - Gabriels
88 The Hypnogogue - The Church
88 King's Disease III - Nas
87 Indigo - RM
87 YTILAER - Bill Callahan
87 Congregation - Witch Fever
87 The Bootleg Series, Vol. 17: Fragments - Time Out of Mind Sessions 1996-1997 - Bob Dylan
87 And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow - Weyes Blood
All Current Music »