Idles - Joy As An Act Of Resistance

Joy as an Act of Resistance is Idles at their most defiant, compassionate, and fully realized. Produced by Space and mixed by Adam Greenspan and Nick Launay (known for their work with Nick Cave, Kate Bush, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs), the album channels the band’s unflinching energy into a bold confrontation with the forces that divide and dehumanize.

Across its runtime, Idles dismantle toxic masculinity, challenge nationalism, interrogate class inequality, and embrace the humanity of immigrants and outsiders. But rather than delivering these themes with bitterness or defeat, the band turns resistance into something uplifting. Their message is simple but radical: choosing empathy is a form of rebellion, and joy itself can be a weapon.

The music is as raw and immediate as ever, surging with jagged riffs, crushing rhythm work, and Joe Talbot’s unmistakable roar. Yet woven through the fury is an infectious sense of hope, humor, and collective spirit. Every song feels like a rallying cry, not just against oppression, but in celebration of vulnerability, community, and the freedom found in casting shame aside.

Visceral, emotional, and unshakably positive, Joy as an Act of Resistance stands as one of Idles’ most iconic statements: a loud, loving insistence that joy can remake the world.