IDLES is an interesting band. They first exploded on the scene with some of the best and most driving energy to grace British punk with Brutalism and Joy as an Act of Resistance in 2017 and 18 respectively. Both are powerhouse albums that are as blistering as they are fucking fun. Joy was especially notable for the themes they incorporated in some of their tracks, particularly their highlighting of toxic masculinity and the way it fucked with their heads. It was immensely satisfying because I am all for angry punk music that takes a fat shit on the way gender essentialism can spurn meaningful emotional connections between fathers and sons, but also because it simply slapped. Now, since those two records, IDLES has not released a third stylistic sibling. Ultra Mono and CRAWLER were both good albums that I enjoyed personally myself, but were decidedly not the same sound as that which first catapulted them onto the scene. And I think if any IDLES fans go into TANGK hoping for a course correction away from the previous two and back to the first two, they will be disappointed because this latest drop feels markedly different from any of their past releases. But I am not one of those fans and I love the evolution the band has taken throughout the last few years and especially on this album. 

While comparatively it has many more moments of subdued emotional charge, TANGK still brings the bangers “Gift Horse,” “Dancer,” and “Jungle.” But I will concede that the bangers are much more of a dance style rather than say the world ending crushing finality of “Rottweiler,” the closing track on Joy. It is a transition that the band lands with incredible finesse as they prove their ability to make a hell of an infectious track. There is no helping it, you just have to dance when you listen to “Dancer” as Joe Talbot explodes with “Dancers/ Hip to hip/ Dancing/ Cheek to cheek.” I do a little spin every time, as is law when listening to a song that LCD Soundsystem worked on.

Joe’s volatile vocal delivery is all the more captivating for the rich and janky instrumentation that frames it. It is especially clear on “Hall & Oates” where his verses are flavored with the whining screech of what feels like metal on a chalkboard. It adds a wrecking quality to his words that transitions smoothly into the bizarre storytelling of “Jungle,” which Talbot opens with descriptions of wild boars and a Scotman’s boot that then erupts before returning to a build and then continuing in this trend until a spectacular finish. 

Another banger I must mention is the more intimate and touching “Grace,” which sees a driving drum beat set to a more crooning delivery from Talbot as he professes his desire for love above all else:

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

Here he makes clear that he has no desire for religion, for power, for wealth, for anything but love. And he wants love alone, he needs no ring or other material expression of their love. It is the love itself and the warmth and grace it gives him that he longs for above all else, as evidenced while he goes on to supplicate his lover in a plea that seems near desperate:

Give me grace
Give me light
Hold me up as I take flight
Make me safe
Away from harm
Please caress my swollen heart
Make me pure

Though it is difficult for me to not just picture Danny Devito covered in hand sanitizer squirming on the floor when I think “make me pure,” I will say that this passage of the song is one of the most touching moments for me and indicative of the band’s ability to make a really gorgeous, though still perhaps slightly sinister love song. There is a weight behind Talbot’s words when he says “I’ll be your hands/ I’ll be your spine.” That’s a big commitment, spines put in work. But also, we know only the narrator’s flawed perception of this love and have no sense for how much his offer is welcomed. Hell it could all be internal and said to no one in particular, but rather a longing for someone to fill that role in his life in general. Regardless, the ambiguity of the lyrics gives an ethereal air that perfectly fits Talbot’s delicately soft delivery and its ostensible opposition to the inexorable stride of the song. The combination of all of these facets really make this track specifically a standout. 

Ultimately, I probably still prefer Joy as an Act of Resistance – it is also the only IDLES album I have on vinyl – but I quite enjoy TANGK and think the comparison of the two records does the latter not enough credit as TANGK is a great album in its own right that is also just of a separate style entirely. There are many elements of similarity, the most obvious being Talbot’s gruff vocals, but TANGK seems more of an experimental meditation of an album as opposed to the more blunt, kickass nature of Joy. You can see this just in the final track “Monolith” and the opening track “IDEA 01,” both two of the quieter cuts on the project and a perfect pair as their flow perfectly loops the album back into itself with a sax flair. Fabulous album overall and certainly one that will make my end of year list.

Favorite Song: Grace