UK Prog Rockers The Tangent hit a nice Jazzy stride on their new single, the nine-minute long “The Fine Line,” taken from the band’s brand new studio album, “To Follow Polaris,” which is released through InsideOut Music on May 10, 2024. Watch the video throughthe YouTube player below:
“There’s a Venn diagram with one circle that says ‘The Apocalypse’ and the other that says ‘Having to go to work’ and the area on the middle is where we’ve ended up,” says Tillison of the new single.
Whilst still very much a Tangent album, “To Follow Polaris” has ended up being very much a singular venture for Tllison, whose regular bandmates were all busy working with other people when it came to recording the album.
“The album is intended to be thought of as a regular Tangent album – but not as the future of the band,” Tillison laiughs. “It’s everyone’s intention to make the FOURTEENTH album as The Tangent. For Five.“
“To Follow Polaris” is available as a limited deluxe Collector’s Edition CD mediabook (including bonus track and extensive 24-page booklet), gatefold 180g 2LP vinyl (also including bonus track) and as a digital album.
Purchase and Stream the album here: https://thetangent.lnk.to/ToFollowPolaris
Tracklist:
01. The North Sky (11:36)
02. A ‘Like’ In The Darkness (08:19)
03. The Fine Line (08:04)
04. The Anachronism (21:01)
05. The Single (From A Re-Opened Time Capsule) (05:51)
06. The North Sky (Radio Edit) (03:42)
07. Tea At Bettys (Bonus Track) (17:32)
Produced between January and November 2023, the album features Andy using his multiple keyboards system as normal, but adds to the mix his first ever released performance on bass guitar and his second on stick driven (electronic) drums. Add electric and acoustic guitars and electronic wind controller and this is a full band recording in every sense of the word. A recording which shows Andy‘s lifelong influence by artists such as Yes, Van Der Graaf Generator, Porcupine Tree, Groove Armada, Earth Wind & Fire, Roger Waters and his bands, Return To Forever, Deep Purple, Gentle Giant, Steely Dan and any band featuring the keyboard player Dave Stewart.
Conceptually Andy claims the album is, ahem, “highly optimistic” but regular listeners to his work will anticipate correctly that this optimism will not be ill founded or over-easy and will be highly critical of obstacles to that optimism and the album will look as much into the dark as it does into the light.
The album is intended to be thought of as a regular Tangent album – but not as the future of the band. It’s everyone’s intention to make the FOURTEENTH album as The Tangent. For Five.
