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Listening to Tank and the Bangas' 'Red Balloon' is like scanning the radio dial

Tank and the Bangas' latest album, Red Balloon, is full of energy and information. With lyrics spanning everything from going out dancing to watching The Simpsons to being Black in America to the Jan. 6 riots to the politics of dating, it's an album experience that feels almost like channel flipping or scrolling through social media or scanning a radio dial — which is what Tarriona "Tank" Ball envisioned.

In this session, Tank talks about how the radio of her youth and the radio of today made her want to create her own radio station with the band on this album. She'll also get into some of the subjects her songs explore, and you'll hear performances from the whole band recorded in front of an audience at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

Copyright 2022 XPN

Raina Douris is the host of World Cafe.
Kimberly Junod is the senior producer of World Cafe.
Miguel Perez
Miguel Perez is a radio producer for NPR's World Cafe.