In 2021 Creeping, IDLES had no problem experimenting with their sound, finding ways to limit the ferocity without abandoning the band's core ethos. It was a surprisingly volatile record, which saw them continue their collaboration with rap producer Kenny Beats, who co-produced its follow-up, Tangk, along with Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich and IDLES guitarist Mark Bowen. The weirdness was an odd fit for the band, not least because it coincided with singer Joe Talbot's own battle with addiction. But it was hard to imagine that the album would have won over so many skeptics. Its minimalism also had the strange effect of highlighting the band's more questionable tendencies, such as the constant need to offer a cheerful reprieve, an incantation, or an explosive release to every moment of bleak introspection. When Talbot said “Are you ready for the storm?” At the end of the opening track, inevitably, a storm breaks out.
There is less Tangk, and is more intent on reconnecting with things, if not always successful. It's an interesting suggestion partly because the subject matter isn't as uniformly dark as Creeping – Every piece of journalism can be reduced to the fact of that Tangk is an album of love songs, which, yes, aren't bad – and Godrich's involvement suggests they might be more willing to embrace the nuances and contradictions in their songs. And there is, in fact, evidence of a band keen to showcase a different expression of their identity here, rather than simply trying different tricks to amplify the same universal message captured more brilliantly in 2018. Joy as an act of resistance. “IDEA 01” opens the album with swirling, distorted instrumentation that immediately suggests Godrich’s influence, but there’s something to be said for the way Talbot dives in as well, singing abstractly about “the things we lost in the fire” and looping the song over. The last word as Thom Yorke himself might have. The piano track “A Gospel” in the middle of the album retains the broken sadness that should have been present in Bowen's original demo, and given Talbot's extreme penchant for optimism, the resigned tone in his singing “Just tell me baby / And I'll be your friend 'past'” is striking In particular.
It's funny then that the next song comes with disco chords that one could mistake for Dua Lipa's next single if it didn't take less than ten seconds to announce itself as an IDLES track. As a preview of the record, the song “Dancer” was noted, which features additional vocals from LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy and Nancy Wang. Tangk As a potential dance punk record for the band, and as enjoyable as it was as a single, its giddiness ends up drowning out the raucous experience that takes center stage elsewhere on the album. Most effective in this regard are songs like “Grace” and “Gift Horse,” whose off-kilter synths change the shape of the songs even as they adhere to the band’s dizzying post-punk vibe — even though you’re only mildly enthralled by the music. A band that ventures out of its comfort zone might be tempted to stop as soon as Talbot says the line “Fuck the King” in a song that seems to be about his daughter. (If you're wondering: “He's not the king, she's the king!”)
While the vulnerability of Talbot's singing is admirable, particularly as it is a trait that has always distinguished IDLES in terms of its image, his lyricism is generally a step down from Creeping. The way he poetically improvises on “POP POP POP” is convincing, and the contrast between his lyrics and the ominous, dissonant instrumentation actually matches his bizarre inversion of the German word schadenfreude. But the violent premise of “Roy” rings hollow, and many of the songs, especially on the album's weaker second half, feel foolproof, struggling to offer much to understand besides the obvious idea of ”love is the thing.” You can't question that motto, of course, and Talbot's rendition of “Grace” does it justice. But when it's so clearly at the heart of the album, an album that stylistically tries a number of different things, you shouldn't be left with the feeling of wanting more.
