A Powys trio whose free-spirited invention and exuberant intensity flows
through experimental pop: hypnotic, exhilarating and defiantly unique. The Welsh
band Islet return with the release of their long-awaited new album. Eyelet was
recorded at home tucked away in the hills of rural Mid Wales. It took form the
months following the birth of band members Emma and Mark Daman Thomas’ second
child and the death of fellow band member Alex Williams’ mother. Alex came to
live with Emma and Mark, and the band enlisted Rob Jones (Pictish Trail, Charles
Watson) to produce. ‘Caterpillar’ described by Emma as “a song for my
unborn child”. It's
followed by syncopated lullaby ‘Good Grief’ with its haunting keyboard hook
and icy percussion thawed by Emma’s yearning vocals about the quiet strength
of generations of women. With nods towards Arthur Russell and Jenny Hval,
‘Geese’ is a mini symphony of
driven electronica inspired by Welsh cultural theorist Raymond Williams’ novel
People Of The Black Mountains. Young Fathers inflected rhythm can be heard on
‘Radel 10’ that accompanies the multi-tracked variations of Emma and defiant
lyrics that were inspired in part by The Good Immigrant – the landmark
anthology of essays on race and immigration by BAME writers.