Ishiya group earns its own future

Walls of guitars and pop music, reflections on relationships and toxic masculinity, and a touch of utopia all permeate the Ischia Quartet's debut album, Leave Me to the Future.

By Andreas Gestetner-Brugger

Opening track “Sides” immediately takes on a musical stance. The walls of guitar and the enchanting, eerie riff, played with gusto, are instantly reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine. The energetic vocals floating above the dense sound also hint at the shoegaze era of the ’90s.

But it's not just the dreamy pop influence that Ischia has on her debut, “Leave Me To The Future.” Singer Adele Ishiya And a guitar player Yurthur HjorleifssonBoth members of the renowned Endless Wellness, help create Lena Kuntz On lead guitar, keyboards and drums Philip Hackl From a huge selection of favorite music. It includes Vampire Weekend, Mitski, early Tame Impala stuff, and as drummer Philip only realizes after the recordings, you can also hear traces of the Breeders in the songs.

Even that beautiful keyboard flourish in the room at the beginning of “Sleep” makes the hearts of indie fans like Stereolab beat faster. Despite all the references you can hear in Ischia’s songs, the band has retained an independence that brings their sound into the here and now. Rough and direct, fresh and playful, dreamy yet grounded in the present, you can dance to “Sleep” just as you can daydream.

Separation, independence, and toxic masculinity

Adele and Hjörtur really found each other. At a young age in the somewhat conservative city of Salzburg, they stood out like colorful birds. Hjörtur because he wanted to earn a little extra money as a street musician and Adele, who immediately caught Hjörtur's attention with her Bob Dylan looks. From then on, it took some time for the two to get to know each other musically, but the foundation for a long friendship was laid.

Moving to Vienna and challenging social norms contributed to the creation of songs like “Sorry Mummy.” Here, Adele defends herself against her mother’s constant questions about children as well as everyday sexism. It’s executed in an indie song that sounds peaceful and calm on the surface.

Toxic masculinity is discussed frequently in Leave Me to the Future. For example, in “Manbaby,” a gently creepy song with alien-like guitar riffs, a ’60s-esque vocal flair, and a deep voice, it asks whether the other person still really wants to act like a baby.

The theme becomes even more explicit in “Fake.” The brutal guitars of the chorus convey the anger that arises when you recognize another person’s obvious lie and throw it back at them. And for all the anger, it’s also a call to not let such experiences get you down and—as the video shows—to reclaim the power of self-determination through good friendship.

A touch of utopia

In general, the theme of relationships runs through the entire Ischia album. However, Adele Ischia does not primarily think about romantic entanglements. Rather, it is about the relationship with yourself, relationships with family and people close to you. There can also be room for uncertainty, as in “Will It Last”, which is expressed in a pounding rhythm (here Ischia only later realized that it had a certain similarity to Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill”) and often emotional verses about life. It goes very fast, it is difficult to orient yourself, and the longing for stability becomes high.

Even if Ischia doesn’t directly address this issue in the songs and leaves a lot of room for interpretation, the album is also an invitation to actively participate in shaping the future – both in direct collaboration and in the big picture. One has a huge impact on the other. Small changes that together can lead to big change.

As the album title and cover make clear, despite all the crises and bleak developments, it is not too late. Because the rotten fruit – symbolizing the downfall of our wasteful behavior misled by capitalism – can be recovered from the compost for a new future. Although Ischia are aware of the bleak signs of our times, they have decided that they want to work for a better future. So they spread a touch of utopia through this beautiful guitar-pop album.