Album number 5 from one of the UK’s most important bands; IDLES. Where does TANGK rank?

Release Date: 16th February 2024

Label: Partisan Records

Format: CD / Vinyl / Deluxe Vinyl / Digital

IDEA 01 opens the the onomatopoeic TANGK with twinkling pianos and everything rising up around it. Nigel Godrich is behind the mixing desk and the Radiohead vibes in the opener are evident. Think Pyramid Song. It might not be what you expect off the bat from IDLES but when have they ever been conventional?

Gift Horse sees Joe Talbot front and centre delivering his always poetic vocals with snarl and bite. ‘Look at him go,’ will be a vocal refrain that will cause every member of their crowds to sing in manic harmony. A less than complimentary message to the king eschews the end of the song. POP POP POP is a bass heavy downtempo piece. Distorted vocals that ring around the mix evoke a Prodigy style energy and lyrically, the song unfolds like a poem. Let’s be honest, Joe Talbot IS a poet. Repetitive and hypnotic, POP POP POP is IDLES ripping up their own rule book once more.

TANGK is, according to the band, the noise that their guitars make in their music. Roy is another bass led piece with the plucked strings open and vibrating to evoke that ‘tangk.’ In true IDLES fashion, Roy absolutely oozes emotion; it is almost a twisted heart wrenching ballad. The piano returns for A Gospel, which is once again, in ballad territory, lyrically. Musically, pizzicato strings and a lush soundscape take the song somewhere else

Dancer kicks off what is essentially side B. The bass is intrusive and the guitars evoke the Wild West. ‘Shoulders back, chest out, I’m poised, like a god damn ape, so to speak,’ sings Talbot. HIs sneering delivery is again absolutely brilliant. The urge to bang your chest and shout is always present; but in the proudest way possible. It also features James Murphy and Nancy Whang on vocals. Grace feels more tender but Adam Devonshire’s bass throbs relentlessly again in the undercurrent of the song. Lyrically, this could be one of the bands most prophetic:

No god
No king
I said love is the thing
No crown
No ring
I said love is the thing

Luckily, Hall & Oates isn’t a track of the two songwriters bickering. What it is though, is a punkier number with a Kinks style riff driving the song. The word love is mentioned a lot on TANGK. It is something that IDLES have always preached. Their shows are emotional and riotous, but they are full of love, equality and tolerance. This is just one of the many reasons as to why IDLES are one of the most important bands in the land.

As the album moves towards its conclusion, Jungle has Jon Beavis keeping the pulse going on drums. His work throughout the album is majestic; each tempo or percussive motif is important to the mix – and it breaks a lot of convention. It really is a joy to listen too.

I needed love. So I made it. I gave love out to the world and it feels like magic. This is our album of gratitude and power. All love songs. All is love.

Joe Talbot on TANGK

Gratitude has the bass and twisted guitars underpinning the verses of Talbot, with cohesive blasts that are going to see crowds in rapture. Monolith is another contemplative piece that closes out the album. Some of the music and the way it ebbs and flows through the ether has a hint of Sunn 0))) knocking around. To fade to black, there is a few bars of reedy saxophone provided by Colin Webster.

Each song on TANGK is fantastically put together. There is a DIY ethic and vibe in the sound but with the calibre of the people in and around the album. you can tell that this is a well thought out and well executed follow up to 2021’s Grammy nominated Crawler that sits brilliantly amongst their catalogue.

IDLES will be on tour later this year with a raft of dates already sold out. You can check out the dates here.

Check out Gift Horse from TANGK below.

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