After a decade and a half of anticipation, Drum & Bass royalty Pendulum have returned with Inertia, their first studio album since 2010’s Immersion and a bold redefinition of their sound. The 16-track LP, produced by Owen Charles and founding member Rob Swire at the band’s London studio, fuses the explosive energy fans expect with an experimental edge shaped by the band’s evolving vision.
“Inertia started in 2020,” says Swire. “I wanted to see how far we could push Pendulum without losing what made us, us. The Prodigy were always the benchmark — they evolved beyond genre. I wanted Pendulum to do the same.”
Despite much of the record being released in advance through the Elemental (2021) and Anima (2023) EPs and several singles, Inertia still manages to feel like a jolt of kinetic energy and a cohesive statement.
Tracks like ‘Save the Cat’ and ‘Mercy Killing’ (featuring Scarlxrd) dive into exhilarating screamo territory, while ‘Halo’ featuring Bullet for My Valentine is a chaotic drum-and-bass-rock hybrid built to crush festival stages. Other high-profile collaborations include WARGASM, Joey Valence & Brae, and AWOLNATION, each bringing fresh energy to Pendulum’s trademark chaos. Still, the album’s most affecting moments come in its quieter corners. ‘Archangel’ and ‘Cartagena’ are cinematic and brooding, with Swire’s emotive vocals anchoring sweeping synths.
Formed in Perth, Australia in 2002, Pendulum emerged as one of the most influential forces in modern drum and bass. Founded by Rob Swire, Gareth McGrillen, and Paul “El Hornet” Harding, the band gained global recognition for fusing high-energy DnB with rock and electronic elements. Their debut album Hold Your Colour (2005) became a landmark release, followed by In Silico (2008) and Immersion (2010), both pushing the genre into arena-sized territory. Known for their explosive live shows and genre-defying sound, Pendulum remain pioneers of the electronic music world.
Inertia may have taken 15 years, but it’s worth the wait. Rather than chase trends, Pendulum have doubled down on reinvention, delivering a record that is as unpredictable as it is powerful. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait another decade for the next chapter.
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