Bristol rockers, IDLES, have announced their upcoming fifth studio album, TANGK, to be released February 16th 2024. Described by the band as ‘righteous and vibrant’, a taste of the album’s new sound can be heard with the lead single ‘Dancer‘ which features LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy and Nancy Whang on backing vocals. Pre-order the album here.
The 11-track album will see the band stray from familiar themes which has made them so popular and championed. Rather then channelling anger and politicism, the band have stated that they, “have arrived in this new act to offer the fruits of such perseverance: love, joy, and indeed gratitude for the mere opportunity of existence.”
“TANGK. I needed love. So I made it,” frontman Joe Talbot posted on Instagram, “I gave love out to the world and it feels like magic. This is our album of gratitude and power. All love songs. All is love.”
TANGK was co-produced by Nigel Godrich (producer of all of Radiohead’s albums since OK Computer), Kenny Beats (producer of IDLES’ latest album Crawler), and IDLES guitarist, Mark Bowen.
Although fans may have to wait until February to experience TANGK in its entirety, listeners are able to drop-in momentarily with the lead single, ‘Dancer‘. This energetic and grungy track exudes bone-rattling basslines, guitar riffs and drums, giving singer Joe Talbot the opportunity to profess his sexual desires to someone on the dancefloor.
Joined by LCD Soundsystem’s, James Murphy and Nancy Whang on backing vocals, ‘Dancer‘ serves to represent the physical feeling of the beginning of a relationship, but it is also about the special dynamic between the band and their fans.
The band have stated, “It is a love song the same way that TANGK is a love album—open to anyone who requires something to shout out loud in order to fend off any encroaching sense of the void, now or forever.”
Joe Talbot said, “’Dancer’ is the violence that comes from the pounding heart of the dancefloor and rushes through your body and gives you life from music, from love and from you.”
Last night, IDLES debuted ‘Dancer‘, amongst a setlist of their biggest and best songs at Village Underground in London – billed under the name ‘TANGK‘.
The tracklist for TANGK is:
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
Although IDLES do not have any UK tour dates released, you can find European tour dates here:
29/02/2024 – Super Bock Arehna – Porto, Portugal
01/03 – Wizinik – Madrid, Spain
02/03 – Sant Jordi Club – Barcelona, Spain
05/03 – Alcatraz – Milan, Italy
07/03 – Zenith – Paris, France
08/03 – AFAS – Amsterdam, Netherlands
09/03 – Lotto Arena – Antwerp, Belgium
11/03 – SaSaZu – Prague, Czech Republic
12/03 – ROCKHAL – Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
14/03 – Halle 622 – Zurich, Switzerland
15/03 – Max Schmeling Halle – Berlin, Germany
16/03 – Sporthalle – Hamburg, Germany
18/03 – Annexet – Stockholm, Sweden
19/03 – KB Hallen – Copenhagen, Denmark
21/03 – Palladium – Cologne, Germany
22/03 – Zenith – Munich, Germany
23/03 – Jahrhunderthalle – Frankfurt, Germany
