This was followed by the lead single "Grounds" on 16 June 2020, "A Hymn" on 14 July 2020, "Model Village" on 11 August 2020 and "War" which coincided with the release of the album on 25 September 2020.

The band confirmed in an Instagram post in January 2019 that they were writing new music and in March, debuted a new song called "War" during an exclusive show for Dr.

So this one is about processing and finding pragmatic ways of moving forward, and from your reaction to that trauma, you build something concise and beautiful (...) the songs are all projections of inner workings, I'm not preaching or telling anyone else what to do.

"[9] Ultra Mono was recorded throughout 2019 and the band documented the process, intermittently sharing images of themselves on social media in the studio throughout the year, with one post teasing an appearance from Warren Ellis.

This was preceded by a light-hearted post on the band's Instagram account on 15 May which invited their audience to "get physical with Dev," featuring bassist Adam Devonshire working out and quoting lyrics from the song.

[12] On 16 June 2020, Joe Talbot announced Ultra Mono and its release date on Steve Lamacq’s Radio 6 show, alongside the premiere of its lead single "Grounds".

"[2] Jordan Bassett of NME was similarly impressed with the album, describing it as "a breakneck ride that roars through sarcasm, defiance, compassion and controversy.

"[1] Q's Dorian Lynskey wrote that the album was "the sound of a band becoming ever more defiantly themselves", finding it "more adamantly political" and complimenting its "bludgeoning drums, scowling bass... great, slab like riffs" and the "hysterical urgency" permeating the track listing.

Despite finding some of the lyrics to be crude and condescending, Lysnkey eventually stated that the record's "strengths are inseparable from its flaws", concluding that "IDLES' brute-force catharsis neither requires nor rewards subtlety... they are they.

Comparing it unfavourably to the band's previous albums, Martin stated that "there is much to enjoy here; their raucous energy shines just as bright, but underneath the surface Ultra Mono lacks the sparkle that made their first two records truly special.