Tank and the Bangas are closing out a chapter and opening a new one. The New Orleans-based GRAMMY Award winners have announced ‘The Last Balloon,’ due May 15 on Verve Forecast, completing the trilogy that began with ‘Green Balloon’ in 2019 and continued with ‘Red Balloon’ in 2022. First single “Move,” featuring two-time GRAMMY winner Lucky Daye, is out now and makes an immediate case for where the band is headed. Executive-produced by Austin Brown and recorded primarily at The Complex Studios in Los Angeles, the album also features collaborations with Ledisi, Dawn Richard, Jelly Joseph, and Iman Omari, among others.
Tarriona “Tank” Ball has been direct about the album’s intent: “I called the album The Last Balloon because I didn’t want anyone asking us, ‘When’s Purple Balloon coming?’ It’s the end of the balloons; we’re moving into a new space now.” That clarity carries into the music itself, which moves between frustration, resilience, and self-realization while keeping the joyful, high-energy live feel the band has built their reputation on. Their 2024 spoken word project ‘The Heart, The Mind, The Soul’ earned the band a GRAMMY for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album, and ‘The Last Balloon’ picks up with that momentum fully intact.
A wide-ranging tour is underway, running through the fall and into November with stops across North America.
‘The Last Balloon’ Tracklist:
- Rest (feat. Shirazee)
- Ain’t That Deep
- Don’t Count Yourself Out (feat. Dawn Richard)
- No Invite
- Move (feat. Lucky Daye)
- Go Your Own Way (feat. HaSizzle)
- Is It Over?
- Interlude
- Whole World (feat. Ledisi)
- Jealous (feat. Jelly Joseph)
- Honeycomb (feat. Akeem Ali)
- Oh Boy
- Nighttime (feat. David Shaw & Austin Brown)
Tour Dates:
March 26 – Savannah Music Festival – Savannah, GA
March 28 – Seawalk Pavilion – Jacksonville, FL
March 29 – Arts Park at Young Circle – Hollywood, FL
April 11 – Poetry on a Porch – New Orleans, LA
April 29 – Louisville Urban League Derby Gala – Louisville, KY
May 2 – The Joy Theater – New Orleans, LA
May 17 – Courage and Poetry: An Afternoon with Tank Ball – Cleveland, OH
June 2 – Visulite Theatre – Charlotte, NC †
June 3 – The Grey Eagle – Asheville, NC †
June 6 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY †
June 7 – The Sinclair – Boston, MA †
June 10 – El Club – Detroit, MI †
June 12 – Bell’s Eccentric Cafe – Kalamazoo, MI †
June 13 – Rock the Ruins – Indianapolis, IN *
June 16 – Cain Park, Evans Amphitheater – Cleveland, OH *
June 17 – Thunderbird Cafe and Music Hall – Pittsburgh, PA †
June 19 – Lincoln Theatre – Washington, D.C.
June 20 – Cat’s Cradle Outdoors – Carrboro, NC
July 2 – Tom McCall Waterfront Park – Portland, OR
October 15 – Terminal West – Atlanta, GA †
October 16 – Terminal West – Atlanta, GA †
October 17 – Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville, TN †
October 20 – Majestic Theatre – Madison, WI †
October 21 – Club Hancher – Iowa City, IA †
October 23 – Fine Line – Minneapolis, MN †
October 24 – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL †
October 25 – Off Broadway – St. Louis, MO †
November 5 – The Truman – Kansas City, MO †
November 7 – Gothic Theatre – Denver, CO †
November 8 – The Commonwealth – Salt Lake City, UT †
November 10 – The Crocodile – Seattle, WA †
November 13 – August Hall – San Francisco, CA †
November 17 – Crescent Ballroom – Phoenix, AZ †
November 19 – Antone’s – Austin, TX †
November 20 – Antone’s – Austin, TX †
November 21 – Heights Theater – Houston, TX †
*w/ Trombone Shorty | †w/ Ariel J
