Idles command you to dance on new track ‘Gift Horse’
With each new teaser track, Idles are revealing their upcoming fifth album, TANGK, to be a masterclass in versatility. First, there was the post-punk assault of ‘Dancer’, then the more stripped-back beauty of ‘Grace’, and now on ‘Gift Horse’ the band want you to move.
Throwing out the mosh pit and opening a dance floor instead, there is something groovy in ‘Gift Horse’. It sits in the drum line as the energetic accompaniment has toes tapping and hips moving. It might be the influence of producer Kenny Beats, who worked with the band on the new record. With a background in trap and hip-hop, his influence seems to be colouring these new tracks with far more exciting beats.
Previously, I’d written Idles off as a band I didn’t like. The band didn’t offer much to change opinions for people who aren’t fans of the heavier end of the post-punk spectrum. Their music felt like a wall of sound that had to be broken through. And if your ears didn’t have that kind of stamina, they weren’t for you. But these latest tracks feel softer, they’re turning my favour. They feel more like a party than a fist-flying pit, welcoming outsiders into the fold as their sound evolves into something altogether more interesting.
On the new material, Idles feel wider and more accessible. The band themselves seem willing to change and expand as a group who could easily have stuck to their schtick forever, and the political punk crowd would have eaten it up.
But ‘Gift Horse’, along with the other TANGK teasers, speak to a more humanist approach. “All is love and love is all / Fuck the king! / He ain’t the king, she’s the king!” their singer Joe Talbot declares, coronating his partner as the leader in a fun little turn of phrase.
It still has that plugged-in social commentary edge, but without the eye roll and with a heavier dose of joy and humour. The band no longer feels like a mere mouthpiece to others’ thoughts; they’re sharing their own and doing it with new pizzazz and punch.
Talking about the track, Talbot said, “Look at us go! Music and movement for you and yours. Be bold and ride us like the disco donkeys we are.” A throwaway line that means nothing to me or you; it’s clear that the instruction is simply to enjoy this track. Don’t think much about it. Let your feet move, and enjoy it. So we will.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out New Music Newsletter
All the latest New Music from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.