TANGK by IDLES | Album Review
“Love is the fing” on the British rock band’s newest album
Listen to TANGK: Apple Music | Spotify
With their ever-growing popularity, IDLES tends to stray a bit further away from their punk rock roots. The aptly titled Brutalism and Joy as an Act of Resistance reveled in their gritty, cutthroat style. Whereas Ultra Mono and CRAWLER saw the band expand and experiment with noise and industrialism, the latter was a huge departure for the band sonically. Despite that, their music still carried a signature feel that made IDLES’ work sound unique.
Maybe it’s lead singer Joe Talbot’s gruff vocals. Perhaps it’s his lyrical matter stemming from political injustice, toxic masculinity, and capitalism. Or it could be the band’s production that gives their music a rough edge. I say all this to say that regardless of how they tweak their sound, IDLES still carry a “punky” feel in their music. This is why their latest album TANGK, with all of its melodies and dance-driven performances, is still very much punk in the sense it deviates from the norm that we’ve come to expect from IDLES.
Love is the central theme for TANGK (pronounced “Tank”), or as Joe puts it in the song “Grace”: (“Love is the fing.”). It’s an album full of positive energy, a contrast from their past material but a change that feels well-deserved and refreshing. TANGK also pushes the band even further stylistically, building off of the creative liberties they took on CRAWLER. The result is an album full of emotion, yet it’s just as brash and unapologetic as anything the band has put out before.
Working with Nigel Godrich and Kenny Beats (the former produced for the likes of Radiohead and Arcade Fire) does wonders for IDLES, as we hear them evolve their sound even further. The distorted guitars that used to characterize their earlier music take the backseat, as drums, bass, and piano are at the center of TANGK’s production. Album opener “IDEA 01” showcases all three of these prominent instruments, and effectively sets the tone for the rest of the album with its escalating piano keys and lowkey tone.
TANGK is evidence that IDLES has evolved past punk rock. The disco-tinged “DANCER” is probably the poppiest the band has ever sounded, and they make it work surprisingly well (with some help from LCD Soundsystem). “Gift Horse” chalks up a ton of groove with its roaring chorus and a searing bassline that drives the entire song. IDLES also branches off to other genres entirely, we get a glimpse of hip-hop on “POP POP POP” and old-school soul throughout “Roy”. Towards the end of TANGK, we get a few callbacks to IDLES’ older style, but they merely tease the possibility. “Jungle” and “Gratitude” in particular, offer great build-ups but don’t fully commit as older songs did.
Easily the standout to TANGK is Joe Talbot’s performance. Long gone are the days of his gritty vocals, as we hear a subdued and tender lead singer. His singing has improved drastically, and the emotions Joe can conjure up are rather spectacular. The chorus on “A Gospel” is made all the more saddening with Joe’s somber delivery. His voice is dialed down a lot more compared to previous releases but still carries that visceral quality we’ve known him for, albeit with more tension as opposed to anger.
The band presents themselves at their most vulnerable throughout. With love at the center, IDLES explores all the avenues that come with it. We hear the victorious highs of loving freedom through “Gift Horse”, but also the lowly anti-love of oneself on “POP POP POP”. “Roy”, sees hear Joe give his all to a significant other, begging for their forgiveness (“I’m sorry for the things that I said, I danced til my feet bled.”).
This sadness gets elevated further on “A Gospel”, but quickly changes on the uplifting “DANCER”. As Joe describes the movement of his body and those around him on the dancefloor, it acts like a reminder of his love for making music, to see people enjoy themselves. This continues into “Hall and Oates”, where Joe gives praise to the boys in his life. (“It feels like Hall and Oates is playing from above, every time he shows me love.”). After some self-examination on “Jungle”, and feelings of appreciation on “Gratitude”, Tangk ends things off with “Monolith”. The jazzy, moody-filled outro caps the album off just as softly as it started.
If you had told me this is what IDLES’ music would sound like 6 years ago, I would’ve laughed. Truthfully though, this evolution from seething punk to atmospheric rock is warranted. It shows that they’re more than just a one-trick pony, and can push themselves creatively in many ways. TANGK was a surprisingly great listen and made me eager to see where the band will take their sound next.
I’m giving TANGK a very strong 9/9.5 out of 10. The switch up from their usual course of punk rock was a great change, from a production standpoint the album offers a ton of range that even newcomers to the band will enjoy. Joe Talbot’s singing is at its best here, listening to him croon and belt his voice out throughout the album is amazing from start to finish. I’m quite proud of what the boys have given us with TANGK, as I believe this marks the start of a new creative era IDLES will plan to take listeners on in future releases.
Final Rating: 9/9.5 out of 10.
Favourite Tracks: IDEA 01, Gift Horse, POP POP POP, Roy, A Gospel, DANCER, Jungle, Gratitude
