They are electric; they are vibrant; they are Tank and the Bangas. Made up of members Tarriona "Tank" Ball (lead vocalist), Albert Allenback (saxophone & flute), Joshua Johnson (drums) and Norman Spence (keys), their music is not like the kind found on commercial radio, in the best way. Known for their ambitious genre mixing, Tank and the Bangas pull from funk, soul, hip hop, rock and spoken word to tell a different story with each song. The secret to Tank and the Bangas' unique sound is assuming a childlike wonder and each member bringing a sense of style.
The energy of Tank and the Bangas radiates into their work. The excitement of their voice when answering questions conveys the passion for music. During a recent press conference, Tank burst into singing a lyric and the rest of the crew joined in carrying the tune without missing a beat. Their natural talent and personal connection create a thrilling performance, whether in a local bar, a concert venue, or a living room.
Since winning the 2017 NPR Tiny Desk Concert, they performed on The Tonight Show in April of 2019, released a debut album titled Green Balloon and received a 2020 Grammy nomination for the best new artist. You may recognize the names of two of their biggest fans. Tank and the Bangas song "Spaceships" was featured on Barack Obama's 2020 Summer Playlist and Vol 1: The Michelle Obama Playlist. Their reaction was nothing less than excitement- talk about fan goals.
Their most recent song, "Self Care," dropped earlier this month on Oct. 7. It boasts features from Jaime Woods, Orleans Big and Anjelika ‘Jelly’ Joseph. Band member Albert made the beat for "Self Care" while home alone in quarantine with COVID-19. He then sent the sound to Tank and the song took off from there. "Self Care" is a song we all need right now to liven up the monotony of staying home, making you want to get up and dance and realize that yourself makes excellent company.
Tank and the Bangas practice what they preach, stating they have been taking this time during quarantine to slow down their schedules and practice self-care. Tank has been exercising, Norman has taken the time to refuel spiritually, Joshua saw the opportunity to explore with music and Albert meditates. These practices all focus on the fact you need to take care of yourself first to properly care for others.
"Self Care" is the lead single from their upcoming EP Friend Goals coming out Nov. 20. When describing the EP in three words, Tank and the Bangas immediately concluded "friendly, fantastic and featureful." "Featureful" is a very fitting adjective to describe the EP because of the songs guest-starring outside musicians. The title is Friend Goals because it collaborates with all of their friends like CHIKA and Duckwrth. The band elaborates that collaboration is of high value to them because it brings unique voices, energy and dynamics to the songs and provides an outside perspective from another artist and the opportunity to cross fan bases, while introducing artists to other audiences.
As Tank describes it, a collaboration with friends that is fun, guaranteed to get you moving and with a "sexy lil vibe to it." Albert goes on to say it is a “model of friendships that are non-toxic based on self-care, respect and stability." Norman adds, "every song has a purpose and "comes from an organic space." For example, the song “TSA” is about their experiences with TSA while traveling the world and “Fluff” is about Tank's experience at Coachella. Friend Goals is incredibly innovative because it was mostly created during quarantine over Zoom, following distancing guidelines.
The four members' relationship goes beyond bandmates and they embody the title of their EP Friend Goals. In a recent press conference, friendship was an underlying recurring theme. Tank and the Bangas prioritize lifting each other up and making friends wherever they go. They reminded me of what it was like pre-COVID times when you could hang out with many friends. Be on the lookout for Friend Goals on Nov. 20. In the meantime, call up your friends and stream "Self Care."
