IDLES’ fifth album ‘TANGK’ arrives in full steam, marking a band primed musically and increasingly aware of who they want to be. Formed in 2009, the band’s original style of indie tunes is starkly different to the colossus, heavier outlet they have become today. Their debut was released in 2017, and the Bristol five-piece really made their mark with the follow-up ‘Joy as an Act Against Resistance’ in 2018, one of the best rock albums to be released in the last ten years.
Their fifth album arrives after a brief break from 2021’s ‘CRAWLER’, an album that marked the beginning of a sonic shift away from their punkier roots to more brooding synths. TANGK continues the detour into wider musical terrain, with production coming through the form of an unlikely duo, that being Kenny Beats (Denzel Curry, Vince Staples) and Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, The Smile). Despite the varying ranges of influences and style, the two work effectively and mesh together to give IDLES a new sonic scope to explore. The newfound style and influence of producers is on show on the album opener ‘IDEA 01’, possessing a piano melody that balances a fine line of sounding both intricate and maddening. Talbot’s delivery marks a change here as well, choosing to sing instead of shout. It’s a strong opener, and one that marks as a moment of intimacy for the band as frontman Talbot sings of broken homes and failing family dynamics.
Throughout TANGK, there’s a declared and reoccurring theme of love. Talbot isn’t one to shy away from extreme expression in his art-form (he quite literally has his heart tattooed on his sleeve), and after experiencing life-changing events such as the birth of his child and recovering from addiction he lays himself bare lyrically throughout, choosing to leave his traumas out of reach and instead celebrate what brings him joy in life. There’s real moments of tenderness in his songwriting, whether it be finding happiness in other people’s successes on ‘POP POP POP’ or describing the comfort provided by others on ‘Hall & Oates”. Yet despite this, there are times throughout TANGK where a little more time spent on drafting lyrics would have proved fruitful.
Talbot went into the album with only one full song finished, and the lyrics that ended up on the record came partly off the cuff in a fit of inspiration. Whether that is for better or worse may depend on what IDLES fan you ask, if they prefer the free-fall expression seen on 2018’s ‘Love Song’ — “It’s not about the sex and the sex and the sex…” or the politically acute commentary seen on Mother — “The best way to scare a Tory is to read and get rich”. There’s more of the former on TANGK, yet the songwriting sometimes feels as though there’s been little thought put into their worth. Don’t let the title of ‘Dancer’ fool you, Talbot delivers his lyrics as though he’s conducting a brawl instead of a bop. Despite this, if you pay little attention to the songwriting — “Chest out/I’m poised like a god damn ape” — it still remains an enjoyable track with excellent backing vocals and instrumentation elevating Talbot’s performance.
The one song that Talbot had finished lyrically going into recording is ‘Grace’, a track in which the Bristol man pines for love amidst a backdrop of suffocating noise: “Make me safe, away from harm/Hold me in my brother’s arms”. It’s one of the most poignant efforts on TANGK due to the care Talbot put into his lyricism. That visible effort makes some of the lyrics on the rest of the album sometimes feel barren, as Talbot sparsely opts for short sparks of phrases delivered with passion to cover up for their lack of nuance.
Despite this, TANGK remains an extremely enjoyable record, especially when it’s at its noisiest. ‘Roy’ is excellent with its thundering drum rolls and brooding atmosphere, meanwhile ‘Gift Horse’ is vintage IDLES, a song possessed by bellowing vocals and grinding bass lines. Mark Bowen’s guitar-work is strong here too, punctuating the track with leads that sound like a plane preparing for takeoff. Godrich’s influences are clear on ‘Jungle’ with its shimmering and jangling guitar leads that bang and ring across the soundscape, and ‘Gratitude’ has post-punky tones and riffs that would stand tall with anyone in the producers role.
TANGK is fuelled by love songs delivered in gutsy and bold textures, often innovating beyond their usual punk-filled parades. Sparse lyrical shortcomings are present but don’t mask their fifth record, as IDLES have produced an album that shows its worth from the first second.
Words by Niall McGreevy