Tickets are now available for Idles at Rock City!
TANGKis the righteous and vibrant fifth album from madcap truth-seekers, IDLES. Pronounced“tank” with a whiff of the “g”-an onomatopoeic reference to the lashing way the band imaginedtheir guitars sounding that has since grown into a sigil for living in love-the record is the band’smost ambitious and striking work yet. Where IDLES were once set on taking the world’s piss,squaring off with strong jaws against the perennially entitled, and exercising personal trauma inreal time, they have arrived in thisnew act to offer the fruits of such perseverance: love, joy, andindeed gratitude for the mere opportunity of existence.A radical sense of defiant empowerment radiates fromTANGK, co-produced by Nigel Godrich,IDLES guitarist Mark Bowen, and Kenny Beats. Despite his reputation as an incendiary post-punk sparkplug, frontman Joe Talbotsingsalmost all the feelings inside these 10 songs withhard-earned soul, offering each lusty vow or solidarity plea as a bona fide pop song—that is, athing for everyone to pass around and share, communal anthems intended for overcoming ourgrievance. Lead single “Dancer” stands as the throbbing and scuzzy highlight at the album’scenter-rattling bass and ricocheting guitar giving Talbot space to talk about sweat and sexonthe dancefloor. (You will spy LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy and Nancy Whang here, too,singing.) It is lascivious and playful and positive, the ecstatic sound of at least a temporary fix. Inthe improvised hook, Talbot offers IDLES’ essential new mantra: “I give myself to you/As longas you move on the floor.”He is singing about the rapture of a new relationship, but he is also singing about the specialdynamic between IDLES and their fans, or IDLES and the world at large. This is a band’s vow tokeep lifting and fighting for themselves and their listeners, to keep offering the grim persistenceof joy and hope and love and wonder as long as that’s what anyone needs to survive. It is a lovesong the same way thatTANGKis a love album—open to anyone who requires something toshout out loud in order to fend off any encroaching sense of the void, now or forever.
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