Manchester post-punk band Ist Ist and their growing fan base now know the score – they didn’t get to where they are today without listening to everything they could get their hands on. Joy Division. Such a reference, far from being one the band has never heard before, is not meant to be pejorative (depending on your point of view, the band casually takes the hat off or makes a sign of the cross at the mention of Ian Curtis) because browsing their music is a solid gold strain of integrity and commitment.

The group’s debut album in 2020, Architecture, paid obvious homage to the built skyline of their hometown and explored the less obvious bane of mental health issues that rampage in a community. Their new album delves into similar territory, still heavily influenced by psychogeography, but forging a fusion of monochromatic post-rock and electronic music that was captured by the writing of music in different locking stages.

One can only hope that with songs like Extreme Greed (which triumphantly transfers their indie ambitions from clubs to stadiums) and their association with Irish visual artist Nigel Cox (some of whose figurative works are heavily inspired by more minimalist music). from Ist Ist), this most underground and urgent rock band is reaching its potential before time (or the Covid) strips it.