IDLES – 'TANGK' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. IDEA 01

2. Gift Horse

3. POP POP POP

4. Roy

5. A Gospel

6. Dancer

7. Grace

8. Hall & Oates

9. Jungle

10. Gratitude

11. Monolith

Whisper it, but Post Punk Bristolian band, IDLES, have gone a bit melodic, a bit quiet and a bit quieter! Not completely of course, it wouldn’t be an IDLES album without a number of songs that make you want to jump in the mosh pit but there is a clear development of their sound, a progression showing that they are growing and developing as a band and signs that they are capable of achieving something greater than they have to date.

By their own admission this album is meant to be more persuasive, more about engagement and talking people round than some of their previous music, which was angrier and, at times, felt like they had to be something wrong with you if you didn’t agree!

Clearly fatherhood has had an influence in a very positive way, this is undoubtedly IDLES most ambitious album to date, it’s brave to fall up a Grammy nominated album like 'Crawler' with something that clearly moves the dial on who they are as a band, that will challenge their own audience at times and that, ultimately, should see them step up a level.

As stated above there are still a number of very strong head banging songs on here and the fire and rage has not left the band, but a new element has appeared, by their own admission, love is very much a driver behind this record. If you are a monarchist this really isn’t the album for you, the clearly stated disdain for the new king appears on several occasions but to declare your actual king is your daughter, not Charles, is actually a very positive statement.

So, is there a standout song? No, it’s a powerful body of work, it works really well as an album. I don’t envy the people who have to decide on singles. This is, without a doubt, the best album of their career to date. It’s the first time I’ve really connected with the band on all the songs, and it begins to show the multi-facetted humans behind the post punk energy they are so famous for.

I’ll be intrigued to see how this lands when it’s released. I’m hoping really well. If 'Crawler' got a Grammy nomination this should be a shoe in!

The band themselves have described this as a collection of love songs and while I don’t think Barry Manilow and Lionel Richie need to worry about the mass desertion of their audience just yet that description makes total sense. Everything on the record comes from a good place, a desire to connect and to make people see a better world.

Time to go see them perform this live I think!