From Idles and Lee Ranaldo to Irreversible Entanglements and Jon Hopkins, here is all the new noise from this week!

Idles – Crawler (Partisan Records)

Idles’ fourth record takes the band in a bolder more experimental direction. A half decade apart from the release of their debut, Brutalism, a vitriolic and crushing post-punk effort, Crawler experiments with new genres, sounds, and emotions, yet still filled with anger and humor.

The record opens with ‘MTT 420 RR”, a deliriously quiet and introspective look into addiction. On “The Beachland Ballroom” the band takes a dive into soul in a way that only Idles can pull off. Fresh off of the wave of success the band has received this is a testament to creativity by being one of the most ambitious efforts from an established band.

Crawler is out on Partisan Records.

Find out more about Idles here.

Lee Ranaldo – In Virus Time (Mute Records)

Twenty-twenty-one will probably be known as the year of lockdown records. For Lee Ranaldo, former guitarist of Sonic Youth, this is no different. This is a lockdown record through and through and one of the benefits to being stuck at home is the opportunity to experiment with recording, which this record does to great effect.

Armed with just an acoustic guitar, Ranaldo creates a colorful, sonic palette of reverb-drenched guitars that meander their way into ambient gold. It’s a dreamy record, but one you can’t just ignore.

In Virus Times is out on Mute Records.

Find out more about Lee Ranaldo here.

Irreversible Entanglements – Open The Gates (International Anthem)

Irreversible Entanglements is spearheaded by none other than Camae Ayewa of Moor Mother and many other cutting-edge projects. Fresh off the release of Black Encyclopedia of the Air, Ayewa’s most hip hop-inspired record, Open The Gates marks a return to free jazz.

The ensemble explor wild sonic territory, Horns seemingly stuck in a never-ending crescendo along with frenetic percussion and blasting stand-up bass, all tied together by Ayewa’s monotone voice. It seems there has been something of a renaissance of revolutionary jazz groups lately, but one things for sure; anything Ayewa puts her hand on is pure gold.

Open The Gates is out on International Anthem.

Find out more about Irreversible Entanglements here.

Jon Hopkins – Music For Psychedelic Therapy (Domino Recording Co.)

As the name suggests, this record is very trippy. The line is blurred between this being music for psychedelic therapy or just a form of psychedelic therapy itself. Truly one of the boldest leaps for ambient music, fans of Tim Hecker and Oneohtronix Point Never will surely be blown away.

The record sonically meanders through many spaces of ascending and descending synths, white noise, and ambient recordings that creates a serene space. It’s nothing short of breathtakingly beautiful.

Music For Psychedelic Therapy is out on Domino Records.

Find out more about Jon Hopkins here.

Featured image courtesy of Bob Sweeney