IST IST are back with a bold, brooding behemoth of a record in Dagger – a post‑punk jab that feels purpose‑built for bigger rooms and dark nights. It’s an album that doesn’t just sharpen the edges of their sound; it tilts the whole blade towards the roof. Curtis-style vocals and droning riffs fill the sound emphatically. 

A FORGED INDUSTRIAL PULSE

From the off, Dagger plays like a statement of intent and a mark of real maturity. The band’s industrial undercurrent is still there – all concrete, steel and shadows – but there’s a newfound sense of refinement in how they put the songs together. The arrangements feel wider, the choruses more insistent, and the atmosphere that bit more cinematic. If you like your post‑punk laced with rich, driving synths and rhythm sections that feel like they’re pushing you down the street, this is one of the early‑year releases you’ll keep coming back to.

Lead singles set the tone. Album opener I Am The Fear doesn’t just introduce the record; it kicks the door in and lets the mood flood out. The band cast a broad spectrum within their niche: mature, tightly woven basslines underpin pulsating synths, while the guitar work remains metronomic yet intricate, carving out melodies rather than simply adding noise. It’s the sound of a group who know exactly what they do well, but aren’t content to stand still.

SURGING SYNTHS

The mid‑album run is where Dagger really ramps up and solders the irons. Warning Signs is arguably the most uplifting moment on the record – still steeped in gloom, but shot through with a tentative, almost hopeful lift that stops the album sinking into pure desolation. Burning follows with a great opening riff, the kind that instantly feels built for a mass of bodies moving in unison. The Echo continues that momentum, its driving guitar work pushing the tempo and adding urgency without losing the band’s trademark poise. By the time you reach Obligations, with its rib‑rattling basslines grinding against the purposeful monotony of the vocal, it’s clear these songs are wired for the stage.

Lyrically, there’s plenty here for the desolate romantics and late‑night overthinkers. I Remember Everything carries the line “I’ll remember everything the day the clouds parted…” which lands like an open letter for lovers left picking through the wreckage. Ambition, the album closer, lingers on phrases like: “I heard the desperation in your words…” and “I dread to think what else is deep inside your mind….” dragging all the uneasy truths to the surface. It’s the recognition that the course of life – and love – never does run smooth, as always with IST IST it’s delivered without flinching.

GRINDING AXE

Makes No Difference sits alongside these as another essay in hopeless affection, wrapping lines like “Ever optimistic now, eyes rolled back; bodies crack – shame that shows upon your face, says all of this was done in vain..” in a manner and vocal performance that never quite lets you settle: this is where Adam Houghton’s drone and delivery scratches that Joy Division itch. There’s a sense across the record that IST IST are best interested in holding a mirror up to the mess around them. 

The deeper cuts round out the picture. Encouragement is a brooding, instrument‑heavy centrepiece, a thumping drive that powers the heart of the album and showcases what IST IST do best: that post‑punk industrial churn that feels both mechanical and human. There is some reprieve amid the heavy hits as Song for Someone offers a more experimental, tender moment, easing off the pressure just enough to let a little vulnerability seep through without breaking the spell.

ECHOING RIFFS

Dagger sounds like a band still pushing – for a bigger sound, bigger rooms and bigger reactions – without sacrificing the grit that put them in a place to . It’s ambitious, tightly constructed and emotionally fraught, the sort of record that feels equally at home in your headphones on a rainy Manchester tram as it will roaring out across a festival field come summer. Dagger is released through the band’s own Kind Violence Records (a true nod to their DIY ethos) on February 6th. The band have UK tour dates planned through April and May visiting Norwich, London, Newcastle, Belfast and Manchester…

IST IST UK IN-STORE ALBUM LAUNCH SHOWS

Leeds – Headroom House – 07.02.26
Bury – The Met – 08.02..26
Edinburgh – The Caves – 09.02.26
Nottingham – Rough Trade – 10.02.26
London – Rough Trade East – 11.02.26 

UK HEADLINE SHOWS

Norwich – Waterfront – 09.04.26 
London – The Garage – 10.04.26 
Exeter – Phoenix – 11.04.26 
Oxford – O2 Academy 2 – 12.04.26
Newcastle – The Grove – 16.04.26 
Glasgow – Oran Mor – 17.04.26 
Sheffield – Network – 18.04.26 
Nottingham – Rescue Rooms – 23.04.26 
Bristol – Thekla – 24.04.26
Brighton – Quarters – 25.04.26 
Dublin – The Grand Social – 28.04.26
Belfast – Ulster Sports Club – 29.04.26 
Manchester – Albert Hall – 01.05.26

IST IST: Website

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