Brisbane’s chaos alchemists IDYLLS left a scathing mark on underground extreme music with the release of 2014’s Prayer for Terrene; it was an album that served as both a breath of fresh air musically but also as a disturbing hallucination. Listening to that record 2 years on still reveals intricacies that contribute to the satisfying head trauma you’re left with at its close. It was a definitive statement in the world of grindcore, noise rock, post-punk and pretty much any other strain of alternative music, one that’s waited over 3 years for a follow up. The Barn sees the return of the heavy and swirling disarray of IDYLLS’ sound; this, however, is blended with more breathing space for the band to truly demonstrate their ability to create discomfort and dissonance without always being blisteringly harsh.
On Prayer for Terrene, IDYLLS hinted toward the ideas that are rife on The Barn. The track ‘PCP CRAZY’ on the 2014 album comes to mind, with its more decipherable rhythm and post-punk flavour – it’s moments like this that are explored further and flushed out with more unhinged vigour throughout the entirety of The Barn.
Opening track ‘No Virility’ shows off this new deranged focus on rhythm and structure paired with their signature sonic density; guided by a shrieking lead guitar riff and drum work providing any semblance of stability, with Billie Stimple’s vocals ranting over the top, akin to David Yow. The angular nature of the record is further expressed on closing track ‘In the Barn’, with a hypnotising bass line exposing itself in between stark bursts of manic rhythm. With instances like this and the punk ferocity also weaved into tracks like ‘Neuroqueering On Shift’, it’s clear IDYLLS have found the balance between experimentation and their disturbed take on hardcore.
The Barn’s ability to spin a web so suffocating to the listener that it makes it all the more alluring; you want it to disorientate you. If Prayer for Terrene was their blackened, swirling nightmare, then The Barn is their freakish circus show. The album’s differences to their previous efforts hints at a band with much unpredictability in their future releases, which is more than appealing. The Barn is raw and alert; well worth multiple listens to wrap your head around its intricacies.
