In celebration of Black History Month, Best New Artist Grammy nominee and critically acclaimed band Tank and The Bangas are premiering two new songs—“Stolen Fruit” and “Black Folk” featuring Alex Isley & Masego—alongside accompanying videos. “Stolen Fruit” and “Black Folk” are the latest songs to be revealed from the band’s third studio album, Red Balloon, set for release on May 13 via Verve Forecast.
Of the new music, frontwoman and lead vocalist Tarriona “Tank” Ball says, “‘Stolen Fruit’ is basically about the slave trade. There’s ‘Strange Fruit,’ and I call this one ‘Stolen Fruit,’ because not only were the fruit strange, but they were also stolen. They weren’t from here.”
She furthers, “‘Black Folk’ is about my love for Black people—everything that they are, everything that they do, their hair, the little girls, Jazzfest. All the beautiful things about us and the things that we like to cover up with pain, laughter, food and music, the family secrets, all of it.”
Most recently, the group debuted their single “No ID” to critical praise; BET proclaims, “Tarriona Ball’s commanding vocal presence gets alchemized on ‘No ID,’ a disco-influenced number,” while LA Magazine goes on to say, “[‘No ID’ is] giving us all of the ’70’s disco feels.” American Songwriter calls the track “a romp, a bop, a slapper.”
Red Balloon was born out of a pandemic-ordered break from the band’s rigorous touring schedule. The hiatus gave the band space to breathe and double down on who they are as artists, allowing them to reunite as a more unified group. The new work has evolved and pushes the band to a new level, shedding light on their unique observations and songwriting reflecting on the ills of America while also celebrating the beauty of Black life.
Predominantly produced by Tank and the Bangas, the 16-track album was recorded at Bangaville Studios in New Orleans and Revival Studios in Los Angeles. Red Balloon also includes contributions from Questlove, Lalah Hathaway, Big Freedia, Jacob Collier, Trombone Shorty, Jamison Ross, The Hamiltones, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Wayne Brady.
In addition, the band will embark on an extensive run of 2022 tour dates with Big Freedia, Trombone Shorty and Cory Henry. Kicking off on March 9, the tour will include a stop at Denver’s own Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
