Tank & the Bangas, Ariel J., Zeus
Jeremy Tauriac
Tarriona “Tank” Ball, left, and Norman Spencer II of Tank and the Bangas.
Tarriona “Tank” Ball, left, and Norman Spencer II of Tank and the Bangas.
media release: GRAMMY-Award winning band Tank and the Bangas debut a new song, “No Invite.” To accompany the song, the band unveils a brand-new music video.
“No Invite” is the second song from their upcoming album, The Last Balloon, set for release May 15 via Verve Forecast—pre-order the album HERE. The song comes on the heels of lead single, “Move,” feat. two-time GRAMMY-Award winning R&B phenomenon Lucky Daye, which received critical praise upon release from the likes of Billboard, Rolling Stone, OkayPlayer, BET, Essence, and more.
The Last Balloon follows acclaimed albums Green Balloon (2019) and Red Balloon (2022), and marks both the closing chapter of the trilogy, and the beginning of a bold new era for Tank and the Bangas.
“I called the album The Last Balloon because I didn’t want anyone asking us, ‘When’s Purple Balloon coming?’” says Tarriona “Tank” Ball. “It’s the end of the balloons; we’re moving into a new space now.”
Executive-produced by frequent collaborator Austin Brown and recorded primarily at The Complex Studios in Los Angeles, the album features collaborations including the multi-faceted musician Iman Omari, pianist/producer Tane Runo and soul singers Ledisi and Jelly Joseph. The Last Balloon finds the band expanding their sound and exploring themes of frustration, resilience and self-realization. Balancing moments of raw vulnerability with bursts of joyful energy, the album moves between emotional catharsis and communal uplift, designed with the group’s dynamic live performances in mind.
“We’re working with new people and cultivating new sounds, and it feels like we’re more open than we’ve ever been,” Ball details on stepping into this new chapter. “What we’ve learned over the years is that even though people can’t always categorize our sound, they’re always able to describe how the music makes them feel. So, we’re gonna keep on changing and evolving, but we’re always gonna give you that same feeling of joy.”
Additionally, the band is expanding their summer and fall tour dates, including stops in New York, Asheville, Boston, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., and more.
In 2024, Tank and the Bangas released their three-part spoken word project, The Heart, The Mind, The Soul, which won the band a GRAMMY Award for “Best Spoken Word Poetry Album.” Each chapter of the album found Tank working with a different producer: The Soul with Robert Glasper as well as Austin Brown and Brian London, The Heart with James Poyser and The Mind with Iman Omari. Listen to the complete project HERE.
New Orleans-based Tank and the Bangas rose to prominence in 2017 following their unanimous NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest victory. Bringing their blend of poetry, R&B, gospel, and pop to a worldwide stage, Tank and the Bangas have been praised as one of the “best live bands in America” by NPR Music. In 2019, the band released their major label debut, Green Balloon, on Verve Forecast to widespread critical praise earning the band a Best New Artist nomination at that years GRAMMY Awards. Their latest third studio album Red Balloon received a nomination for “Best Progressive R&B Album” at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards.
Throughout their career the group has performed on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Austin City Limits,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and “The Today Show.” They have consistently sold-out venues both stateside and abroad, with festival appearances at Coachella, Glastonbury, Bonnaroo and the Newport Jazz Festival.
Tank and the Bangas are Tarriona “Tank” Ball (lead), Norman Spencer II (Multi-Instrumentalist) with new accompanying members, Deven Trusclair (Drummer), Kenaniah Turner (Bass), Rob Kellner (Keys), and Etienne Stoufflet (Saxophone).
