1 month ago
1 “We’ve always been proud of every album we’ve released, but sometimes you come away and wonder whether you’ve left anything in the studio and whether you could have dragged something extra out of some of the songs. Not with this one.”
Barely giving themselves time to catch their breath after the release of their critically acclaimed third album Protagonists, or from their sell out European tour earlier this year that saw the guys play in nine countries, Manchester outfit IST IST have announced a 20th of September release date for their brand new L.P., Light A Bigger Fire, and For The Love of Bands has been given an exclusive sneak preview.
As has been noted before from our previous reviews and articles that can be found elsewhere on this brilliant site – okay, so we readily admit to being big, big fans – IST IST have already forged something of a formidable reputation for themselves, mainly due to their fast-paced albums that cross genre boundaries with eclectic ease, and uncompromising live shows that continue to grow in breath-taking intensity. Now they seem to have taken over the airwaves, championed and lauded by Radio 1, 6Music, KINK FM and the still influentially cult Radio X, and their long, long list of admirers is forever growing as word spreads like verbal wild fire.
The guys, singer Adam Houghton, Mat Peters on guitar and synths, Andy Keating on bass and drummer Joel Kay, rightly pride themselves on their fiercely Mancunian background, and for their Indie, do-it-yourself work ethic that has created a envious back catalogue of successful studio albums and singles, as well as “live” releases, all self-released through their own Kind Violence Records imprint.
Joe Cross, who produced St Jude: Re:Wired and More. Again. Forever. amongst several othersfor the Courteeners, and who has written with performers such as Hurts, Lana Del Rey and LaFontaines, was eagerly enlisted to contribute to Light A Bigger Fire, and the collaboration is immediately complementary and captivating, the songs constantly evolving. No longer as brash or as urgent perhaps, but more thoughtful, with a pinch of wishful, not wistful, contemplation? Earnest, whilst still retaining that underlying tinge of northern new wave attitude? A creative confidence that comes from being heard and, more importantly, from being taken seriously.
“Right now this is the best version of us,” Adam declares, the band rightly proud of their new offering. “Live shows have always been our calling card,” he tells me, “but this record puts our studio output on a par with them.”
So, let’s start at the very top: “Light A Bigger Fire”.
“The title isn’t cryptic in the slightest. Everything we’re doing, everything we have been doing for a while now,” the band’s enigmatic frontman quickly adds, “is going up a level,” a musical and lyrical growth that becomes increasingly evident as we discover each new song, as Mat leads us through the L.P. in his own words, starting with the opening track, Lost My Shadow.
“We wrote this as a bit of an ode to one of our most popular songs You’re Mine. We wanted something for the album that would have that same sense of urgency and sonic pallet.
“We chose this as the first single and I think it introduced people to the new sound, with this album being the first working with Joe, which has really elevated our sound to another level.
“The Kiss. I’m really proud of the guitar work on this one. One of our most straightforward ‘rock’ songs, it changed very little in the studio. We just added some extra synth hooks on the choruses and there it was. We like to leave our lyrics open to interpretation,’ Mat adds, explaining the band’s creative process, “but there is a clear message of love and relationships on this song and across the whole album.
“Repercussions is one of our favourites on the album,” Mat reveals next. “It’s got a lot of moving parts that come in and out, it can be quite challenging to play but very gratifying. The bridge and outro section build in such a satisfying way, we all knew we were onto something great when we were writing. Joe added a bunch of extra synths and production to this track. It turned it from a fairly standard IST IST song, into something new, with a bit more of that sparkling production that Joe does so well.
“Can’t Wait For You took a while to really find it’s sound. It was essentially written as a pure dance track. Me and Adam sat down at the end of 2022 with the intention of writing something for people to dance to. It started with a 909 drum machine and didn’t have a single guitar on it until much later on. Over time it morphed into more of a War On Drugs kind of guitar tune, in the end it’s kind of in between that and a New Order track.”
Dreams Aren’t Enough.
“When we went into the recording of this album, Dreams was probably one of our weaker songs, with a different chorus and title,” Mat tells me. “We were all curious as to how Joe would shape it and he really did get his hands on it and make it into the anthem it is today. We were really blown away by how he was able to take it from a decent album track, to a lead single.
“The sound is much brighter and lighter than a lot of our other work,” Mat continues with an excited buzz to his words. “I’m pleased with the more shoegazy elements like the My Bloody Valentine inspired guitar solos which were a lot of fun to record.
“Something Else was another one that we weren’t 100% happy with in the demo stage. Once Joe got his hands on it he really brought out the main hook in the song with some extra synths. Sometimes when you’re writing songs, you think a certain hook is enough to carry the past. It often takes someone from outside the band to hear something with fresh ears and give suggestions to bring those elements to the forefront. I think this one will become a bit of a fan favourite,” he reveals, full of hope and excitement.
“What I Know, this was a much more standard IST IST song, as it started out as another ode to Interpol with some nice interplay between the guitars. When we came to recording it we added a lot more dynamics and extra parts coming in and out. This is a tune that introduces something that’s a big new feature on this album which is the presence of the piano. We had time to spend a whole day on a beautiful old grand piano and properly add this flavour to the songs, which you’ll hear a lot on the remainder of the record. Hope To Love Again is similar to Can’t Wait… a clear attempt to write a dance tune.
Adam came up with the demo for this a long time ago,” Mat explains, “and it was one of the first tracks to be written for the album. Joe is again the perfect producer for this song as it just has this great movement to it. The big bass synths pumping away in the chorus and the soaring synths over the top really make this song epic,” Mat says, before quickly adding: “We can’t wait to see how this goes down live, as I’m sure it’ll divide some fans.”
As for track 9, XXX, the guitarist reveals that this is one of his and Adam’s favourite songs. “As on each album we usually have one or two palate cleanser songs,” as the band like to call it. “More of an electronic, synthwave edge that allows for Adam’s story-telling lyrics to take centre stage. I feel like we’re good at creating moods in our music, and on songs like this we get to strip things back and get creative with the space that’s left.
“The lyrics for Ghost,” the album’s ambient closer, and probably my favourite track on the album, reminding me slightly of Bowie’s Width of a Circle, for some reason, “had been in Adam's notebook since the very early days of the band and have finally found their home in this reflective ballad, which again is a new avenue for the band.
The piano being so stripped back but building into this triumphant end is going to be so good live,” Mat says, again unable to hide his excitement and already looking forward to the upcoming tour that will support the new album, and which will include what they call, “statement”, shows at venues such as New Century in Manchester and Amsterdam's iconic Paradiso Grote Zaal. The guys obviously cannot wait to share the new tracks with their growing legion of fans.
“We’ve always tried to write impressive closers and the wall of noise and pounding drums at the end really marks a bold end to our most striking album yet.”
As well as the new tour, which starts on the 2nd October at the The Trades Club in Hebden Bridge, and sees them venture into brand new territory, playing Switzerland, Austria, Czechia, Hungary and Poland for the very first time, the lads have also announced three intimate shows in Liverpool, Bury and Kingston to coincide with Light A Bigger Fire’s initial release.
“We can’t wait for everyone to hear it!” they exclaim.
Light A Bigger Fire is released on 20th September
Check their Spotify or other streaming services on the 20th to hear the new album!
Connect with IST IST via
Find Dreams Aren't Enough on our NEW ROCK 2024 playlist on Spotify and YouTube.
Bengali (Bangladesh) · 
English (United States) ·