Joe Talbot, who normally uses his bullhorn-of-a-voice to stir or alarm, opens Idles’ latest album with a soft croon and closes it with a comforting hum. This time, he’s acting not just as a force of nature but as a tool of nurture, and that’s no coincidence. In the time between the release of the band’s last album, Crawler, a top ten hit in 2021, and the new one, titled Tangk, he and primary musician Mark Bowen both became fathers. “When you become a parent, you’re in charge of this very vulnerable thing,” Talbot said. “Suddenly, you’re accountable for someone else’s wellbeing and that makes you soften. It makes you think more. You become more mindful of your language, more mindful of everything.”
Not that Talbot has ever been unaware of his either his emotions or his motivations. In fact, he and Idles have staked a key part of their reputation on serving as one of the most transparent bands in modern music, not to mention one of the most successful. All four of their previous albums have made the UK top 10. One of them, Ultra Mono, hit No 1. The ethos of forthrightness that has guided them through all of this is evident in everything from Talbot’s declarative way of vocalizing to his will to air his personal struggles in the press to the group’s placard-waving political views. “I can’t hide who I am,” Talbot said. “And I’ve never felt the necessity to lie.”
