Nrvs have little interest in separating music from the world that produces it. And on their newest release ‘The Tanks Are Coming Out’, the band take contemporary political anxiety, personal conflict and the creeping normalisation of violence and fold them into a track that feels deliberately uncomfortable.
Written while members of Nrvs were in prison following peaceful protest, the song takes its title from the growing presence of military machinery in public consciousness. Throughout, tanks, drones, bombs and conflict are treated as signs of a broader instability that has become increasingly difficult to ignore.
Nrvs also draw a parallel between international conflict and the smaller wars that emerge between individuals. Broken relationships, damaged trust and emotional collapse sit beside Ukraine, Gaza and authoritarian politics, creating a song about confrontation at both the largest and most intimate scales.
Sonically, the track draws from the experimental tension of Brian Eno, John Cale and Faust, particularly the repetitive unease associated with ‘Rainy Day Sunshine Girl’. Producer and band member Matt Allchin keeps the arrangement abrasive without making it shapeless, allowing repetition and texture to create pressure rather than relying solely on volume.
The accompanying visual work also strengthens that idea. Peter Kennard’s political photomontage gives the release an immediate visual language of protest, while Emmy Chitty’s long-form video places its unease inside suburban surroundings. The presence of Josef Altin adds another layer of familiarity to imagery that is otherwise designed to feel increasingly wrong.
Nrvs’ history of direct political action inevitably shapes how the song is received. Their involvement in protest movements is part of the same worldview that informs the music. Whether that makes the track more persuasive will depend on the listener, but it certainly gives the material a clarity of purpose.
The result is severe, strange and deliberately unresolved. It’s a piece of political art-rock that doesn’t ask us to feel comfortable, only to pay attention.
Listen here or watch the new video below.