IST IST Release Their No-Nonsense Anthem ‘Stamp You Out’

Since their inception back in 2014, Manchester-based IST IST have made a name for themselves in their hometown and beyond. 

Following a number of singles and EPs taken on stage at venues like The Ritz and The Deaf Institute, IST IST produced their debut album ‘Architecture’ in 2020. Released mid-pandemic with their own label Kind Violence Records, the album reached number three in the UK Independent Album Charts.

Now, the band have released a new single ‘Stamp You Out’, channeling their intensity as live performers. Immediately a forceful bass pounces and once Joel Kay joins with pounding drums, a voltaic atmosphere hangs over the track. For IST IST, it has more of a straightforward rock feel than their recent work; a welcome nod to the band’s earlier, bass-heavy, anthemic approach.

 

‘Stamp You Out’ is also another reminder of the band’s uncanny resemblance to the landmark post-punk band of the 1970s, Joy Division, which goes beyond their shared Mancunian origin. Adam Houghton’s commanding vocals which bellow across the track and Ian Curtis’ infamous baritone are strikingly alike. When Houghton sings “So many questions / That remain unanswered / What can we do, what can we do?”, the politically driven angst behind the track shines. The sentiment of the track is loud and clear in the line “Our intention is to stamp you out”.     

 

With this new single, IST IST has announced an exciting third album for March 2023. ‘Protagonists’ will be accompanied by a release day show at the O2 Ritz in Manchester. 

 

 

Maebh Springbett

xmaebhx

Image: ‘Stamp You Out’ Official Single Cover