IDLES have never been a band that rests on their laurels. Their balls to wall frantic energy simmers below the surface of even the most placid track, threatening to burst out it’s cage like an enraged punk rock gorilla. TANGK, although finding them in a somewhat more tranquil contemplative mood, is no different. There’s plenty of classic IDLES here, but they have also upped their game, the guitar FX are deeper, more varied, sparce yet all consuming of the space left by the ever-present hammering of the rhythm section.
There is dichotomy between the lyrical content of Joe Talbot, who talks about love constantly throughout the album, “love is the thing, is the thing, is the thing”, is repeated over and over at the end of ‘POP POP POP’, the delivery blistering, aggressive, even when it’s quiet, the message is one of togetherness, community, endless love for those around him, and for the people that enable his merry band of punks (sort of punks) to continue to ply their trade.
Throughout the album there is also a nascent unpredictability, on first listen the songs twist and turn like a lazy river, they never really reveal their hand until that same hand is down and they’re dancing on the table celebrating a win. This unpredictability gives the whole album a chaotic energy that is usually reserved for the more madcap hardcore punk bands, it’s strange that a song, or songs where the guitars are there more as texture than as non-stop riff machines should be able to carry so much emotional frenetic energy, but this is what’s come to be expected from IDLES.
“It’s a beautiful thing to see people preaching happiness and love in these dark times, and it’s something that not everyone is willing to do”
Nowhere on the album is latent energy more apparent than ‘Grace’ the lyrics once again like a bundle of kindling threatening to spark into life at any point, “I will hear your burdened cries, I will give myself to you,” is uttered in the lowest of tones, whilst the driving bass line threatens below the surface. IDLES are professing endless love, in front of the backdrop of the glum hellscape that assaults everyone on the daily, through all their consumed media. And even though there is a hint of breaking out towards the end of the song, it never gets there because the message has already been delivered.
The new album sees this merry band of lunatics go from strength to strength, they have produced a piece of music here that does exactly what it set out to do. It spreads love, and joy, and happiness, and sadness, and anger all at once in only the way IDLES seem to be able to do. They deserve everything they get in terms of plaudits, awards or however else they are recognised, not only for the quality of music they produce, but also for the message they relentlessly spread, it’s a beautiful thing to see people preaching happiness and love in these dark times, and it’s something that not everyone is willing to do.