Tank And The Bangas are in the final lap before the release of their new album The Last Balloon. So far, the group has given us smooth soul with “Move” and raucous hip-hop on “No Invite.” But the set will have many more layers, as evidenced by the release of “Nighttime,” the project’s third single.
“Nighttime” allows the band to play a bit, with the song mixing elements of soul, folk, hip-hop and electronic into a musical gumbo that refuses to be defined. Helping to play into this are the song’s guests, singer-songwriters David Shaw and Austin Brown, who assist with backing vocals (Austin also contributes to the production here as well) and a surprise sample of Kindred The Family Soul’s “Far Away.” It culminates in a track that feels timeless while pushing the group’s sound forward.
The song’s chorus, “Nighttime spells will take us deep and far away,” is a pitched-up, distorted vocal that sounds like a sample of something from yesteryear, despite it not being that at all. It leads into the introspective verses of the song, surrounded by guitar, four-on-the-floor kicks and building rhythms that get more and more spacey as instruments are added in layers.
“What is it that you’re looking for? / Can’t give you what you’re askin’ for / Do you want me anymore / Or is it over?” lead singer Tarriona “Tank” Ball asks on the opening verse. “Searching for the thing we were / See me rushing to the shore / Paradise a fallen floor / Am I drowning?”
And then, just when we think we might know what’s going on here, the song upends everything to let Tank drop a quick rhyme over a smoothed-out hip-hop beat that then distorts before cutting off completely.
“‘Nighttime’ is my spacey, reflective record I created with Austin Brown and David Shaw that leans into my poetic storytelling and mood,” Tank said in a press release. “It’s about what comes up when everything gets quiet—thoughts you can’t ignore, feelings that sit a little heavier after dark. The track carries a soulful layer with a Kindred the Family Soul sample woven in, grounding it in something warm and familiar, while still letting it feel open and atmospheric.”
We’ve loved everything we’ve heard thus far from The Last Balloon, but “Nighttime” feels like a track that bears repeat listens to take in all the artistry on display. We’ll definitely be running this one back long after the set drops this Friday, May 15th.
