IDLES - ALBUM REVIEW

IDLES - TANGK (Partisan Records) 

Release Date: Out Now

OK, if you haven't already listened to 'TANGK', the new album from Bristol princes of punchiness IDLES, then either you've been in a coma, under a rock or you just don't like their brand of music but whatever the reason, you need to listen up now. A steady but ominous thumping beat starts the album off with 'IDEA 01' while spooky melodic noises swirl like eerie wind chimes and the world weary vocals sing out from behind hands cradling a head on the verge of exploding. 'Gift Horse' lets the bass take centre stage for a more direct and, dare I say it, funky track that will have crowds heaving all over the festival circuit this summer. Similarly, 'POP POP POP' sounds like the Streets rapping over a Kraftwerk composition being played by Incubus at their most experimental. This album, even from the first three tracks, shows a brilliant amount of growth from IDLES who are exploring what comes after the anger, what exists beyond the rage and what happens when you start to take control of the sounds. 

'Roy' broods in the dark corner of a bedsit made for ten while 'A Gospel' sounds like an out of body experience as you float above a haunted piano. The dramatic swirl of recent single 'Dancer' will have you in an involuntary frenzy and 'Grace' is a brilliant blend of indie, shoegaze, soul and industrial beats that create an environment that is as intoxicating as it is unsettling. The band's famous brutalist sound is most evident on 'Hall & Oates' with frenetic guitars and frantic drums underpinning Joe Talbot's fiercely spat vocals. Keeping up the unhinged vibe is 'Jungle' with its shuddering guitars before 'Gratitude' churns and gurns like someone struggling against the rising tide and losing. The album closes on 'Monolith' which you might expect to be a chaotic climax but this track is more of a quiet goodbye in the early hours of the morning before disappearing in to the night. This is an incredible album and cements IDLES as one of the most important artists around in 2024. 

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