[3] It was named Tangk, a onomatopoeiac word coined to describe "the lashing way the band imagined the guitars sounding, that has grown into a sigil for living in love".

[13] Mojo's Andrew Perry concluded that the album is "still hardly for the faint-hearted pop-picker, but it categorically repositions its makers as contenders in the biggest arena, as tuneful, approachable geezers capable of love, and sharing it with the world".

[17] Record Collector's Elizabeth Aubrey wrote that Tangk "may bring us a more compassionate, empathetic version of the band who seem to be trying to find something that resembles peace after years of tumult" but that "they still haven't quite lost their punk spirit".

[16] Nick Seip of Slant Magazine stated that "those familiar with Idles's past work may be surprised to find much of their characteristic righteous anger missing here" and their "slower songs struggle to command such attention" but "on a technical level, Tangk underpins its more personal and emotional lyrics with rich, layered arrangements".

[18] Pitchfork's Arielle Gordon wrote that "Idles seem poised to let down their ironclad armor and reveal a far more interesting and nuanced band, just as soon as Talbot is ready to relinquish his stubborn and self-defeating grasp".