This Friday, Bristolian post punks IDLES release their fifth album, Tangk. Recorded with Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich and Kenny Beats, it finds the group swapping their more agit-punk political missives for something softer and more personal. Here, frontman Joe Talbot speaks to MOJO’s Andrew Perry about the record, why he’s no fan of the monarchy, how ballet dancers are “the most powerful fucking human beings on earth”, the reveals the joys of ‘freudenfreude’…
The beginnings of Tangk involved Nigel Godrich. Were Idles seeking their Kid A moment?
“Fuck, yeah. We came from the school of Nigel Godrich. Kid A is one of my favourite albums. To work hard as an artist, you have to challenge yourself, make yourself uncomfortable, look at the ugly parts and make them beautiful, by connecting to the world, for you, not for anyone else. As my mum always said, ‘the boring get bored.’”
This time, you’re singing, more than rapping or raging.
“I have sung before, but I wasn’t confident. If you listen back to Slow Savage on [debut LP] Brutalism, and other slow ones before, I’m fighting it by trying to be aggressive behind it, not allowing myself to be completely tender, like I’m scared there’s a lack of power in being graceful. Of course, that’s bullshit. The most powerful fucking human beings on earth are ballet dancers, because it takes strength to move slowly and open yourself up to the world.”
“IDLES have sought other means beyond brute force – the art of persuasion… ★★★★” Tangk reviewed
On Grace, you sing, “No god, no king/I said love is the thing”. Is that your mantra for 2024?
“Yeah, kind of. The coronation was happening, and it was pissing me off. Because as an anti-monarchist, I don’t like occupying other countries, an unelected leader, the House Of Lords… As soon as you have a kid, those beliefs become amplified with a sense of severe protection. It just highlights the dangerous, apathetic stance we have on such oppressive fucking systems within our country, and I want to talk about that through love – not anger, not hate, not disdain. Just: my daughter’s my king, he’s not my king. Tell me different! Prove to me different! You can’t.”
On POP POP POP, you coin the term ‘freudenfreude’, taking pleasure in other people’s pleasure…
“I didn’t come up with it. I saw it on one of those internet feeds, about words that should be invented but haven’t been yet. It was someone taking schadenfreude, which is quite a negative part of human nature, giving it a positive slant. There’s so much schadenfreude on social media, and that’s because the internet feels like a window into the world, but it’s actually a cell door. So, ‘freudenfreude’ is a beautiful notion. Even the coining of it is a beautiful act; someone going, ‘Hold on, what about parenthood? What about seeing your friends do something sick? What about going to see your favourite band, being in a crowd and enjoying everybody else’s energy?’ That’s a cool thing.”
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Where can Idles go from here?
“We’re going to a place of peace. We’re going to find our rhythm, and we’re going to really challenge ourselves. That place of uncomfortable purpose is where we want to be, where, if it’s easy, it’s probably not good enough. That’s a beautiful place to be, because you get up in the morning, and you’ve got a hill to climb. Fuck me, the amount of people out there who are desperate for that hill! We’re just going to keep climbing it.”