Idles “Crawler” 2021. Partisan Records. Limited edition colored vinyl “Eco-Mix Coloured” (leftover wax already in the factory). Crawler is Idles’ fourth studio LP; it hit #6 on the UK charts and did really well in several European countries but made zero dent in the US. Though the UK band is generally slung with the punk label, Crawler is better described as a mix of post-punk (very Joy Division-ish at times, like on “When the Lights Come On“), experimental noise rock (“Car Crash“) and hypnotic electronic dance (with a rough punk edge: “The New Sensation“). Then there are some songs that combine all three (“Meds” – it’s amazing – and “King Snake“). My top tracks, other than ones already mentioned, are the crashingly angry “Stockholm Syndrome” and the sort-of title track “Crawl!” We just secured pre-sales tickets to see Idles perform at the beginning of September; I haven’t seen them yet but Joe has and says they put on a helluva show (he saw them in Minneapolis last year).