Island of Love | |
|---|---|
 Island of Love performing in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Love Island |
| Origin | London, U.K. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2019–2023 |
| Labels | Third Man |
| Past members |
|
Island of Love was an English rock band formed in London in 2019. The first UK signing to United States record label Third Man Records, the band released two EPs alongside their 2023 debut album Island of Love.
Island of Love was formed by members of multiple hardcore punk bands. [1] Karim Newble, Daniel Alvarez-Giraldo and Linus Munch were all members of Sterile, amongst other groups, and Jimmy Guvercin was a member of Urine Charge. [2] [3] The members met at East London recording studio Fuzzbrain studios in 2019 through these previous bands and soon began discussing the formation of a band together. [4] Named for the ITV dating show Love Island , [5] they began writing music at Newble and Munch's parents houses, with the first written being "Low", while at Newble's mum's house. [6] following the September 2020 fire which burn down Fuzzbrain, both Newble and Linus began writing and recording demos separately with Fuzzbrain's Ben Spence at his parents' house. [4] [7] This culminated in the band's debut release, March 2020's Promo Tape EP, which was released physically by Smoking Room Records. [8] In September 2021, they performed at London's the Blue Basement venue owned by Third Man Records, following which, the record label's co-owner Ben Swank approached the band with the offer of signing them. [9] On 9 February 2022, they released the single "Songs of Love". [10] The release was coincided with the announcement that the band were the first signing to the London imprint of Third Man Records, and that the label would be releasing their debut EP Songs of Love on 18 March. [11] On 17 February 2023, they released their double single "Grow / Blues 2000" and announced that their debut album Island of Love would be released on 12 May. [12] On 14 March, they released the EP's second single "At Home". [13] In June, they performed at Bigfoot Festival 2022, [14] and opened for Jack White, at the Hammersmith Apollo. [15] On 17 March, the album's third single "Fed Rock" was released, [16] followed on 23 April, by the release of "I’ve Got the Secret". [17] On 11 October, the band announced on their Instagram page that the band had disbanded.
Critics have categorised the band as alternative rock, [18] [19] indie rock, [20] [21] garage rock [22] [23] and indie pop, [13] often making use of elements of pop, [24] grunge, [25] jangle pop, [26] college rock, [27] power pop, garage punk, [28] shoegaze, punk rock, noise rock and post-punk. [10] Their music often makes use of fuzz in both guitar tones and vocals. They also use lo-fi production techniques. [10] DIY writer Bella Martin likened their sound to "90s slacker rock with a DIY punk aesthetic, or the Cribs at their least immediate via the kind of tempered sonic layering that circa-2010 breakthroughs Japandroids and Cloud Nothings were fond of". [26] NME writer Becky Rogers cited them as merging influences from Black Sabbath, the Beach Boys and the garage rock revival. [1] Brighton and Hove News writer Nick Linazasoro described them their music as "loud, ragged and raw punk, but with a melodic west coast indie Barracudas grunge edge". [3]
They have cited influenced including Dinosaur Jr., Hüsker Dü, [29] Built to Spill, Rick Maguire of Pile, John Fahey, Michael Hurley, the Cribs, the Maccabees, Steve Hartlett of Ovlov, Neil Young, [30] Duster, Sebadoh, [7] Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, the Rolling Stones, the Ramones, Natasha Bedingfield, the Strokes and Girls. [31]
Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their major-label debut Dookie, released through Reprise Records, became a breakout success and eventually shipped over 10 million copies in the U.S. Alongside fellow California punk bands Bad Religion, the Offspring, Rancid, NOFX, Pennywise and Social Distortion, Green Day is credited with popularizing mainstream interest in punk rock in the U.S.
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 1998. The band is composed of lead singer and primary songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Moretti. They were a leading group of the early-2000s post-punk revival and garage rock revival movements.
Bloc Party are an English rock band that was formed in London in 1999 by co-founders Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack. They are joined in the band's current iteration by Louise Bartle and touring bassist Harry Deacon. Former members Matt Tong, Gordon Moakes and Justin Harris left the band in 2013, 2015 and 2023 respectively. Their brand of music, whilst rooted in rock, retains elements of other genres such as electronica and house music.
Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield on 14 August 2002. The group consists of lead singer Alex Turner, drummer Matt Helders, guitarist Jamie Cook and bassist Nick O'Malley. Former bassist Andy Nicholson left the band in 2006 shortly after their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, was released.
The Cribs are a British indie rock band originally from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, that formed in 2001. The band consists of twins Gary and Ryan Jarman and their younger brother Ross Jarman. They were subsequently joined by ex-The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr who was an official member of the group from 2008 until 2011.
We Are Scientists is a New York City-based rock band that formed in Berkeley, California, in 1999. It consists primarily of guitarist and vocalist Keith Murray and bass guitarist Chris Cain, with drummer Keith Carne joining the band in the studio and for live performances since 2013.
Skinned Teen was a riot grrrl band from London, England, active in the early 1990s. They have been cited as an inspiration by Beth Ditto, Kathleen Hanna, Gina Birch and Josephine Olausson of Love Is All.
Wolf Alice are an English rock band from London, England. Formed in 2010 as an acoustic duo comprising singer Ellie Rowsell and guitarist Joff Oddie, Wolf Alice have also featured bassist Theo Ellis and drummer Joel Amey since 2012.
PUP is a Canadian punk rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario in 2010, originally under the name Topanga. PUP's debut album PUP was released on October 8, 2013, on Royal Mountain Records. In December 2013, PUP signed with SideOneDummy Records and re-released their debut album in the United States on April 8, 2014. The group was in the studio in late 2015 recording their second album The Dream Is Over which was released on May 27, 2016, through SideOneDummy. The band's third album, titled Morbid Stuff, was released on April 5, 2019. This Place Sucks Ass, a six-track EP, was released on October 27, 2020. Their fourth album, The Unraveling of PUPTheBand, was released on April 1, 2022.
Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes are an English punk rock band formed in 2015 by frontman Frank Carter with guitarist Dean Richardson. Famed for their raucous live shows, the band released their debut album Blossom in 2015, and the follow-ups Modern Ruin in 2017 and End of Suffering in 2019. Their fourth album, Sticky, was released in October 2021. A fifth, Dark Rainbow, was released in January 2024.
The Big Moon are a British indie rock band, formed in 2014 in London by frontwoman Juliette Jackson. Their debut album, Love in the 4th Dimension, was released on 6 April 2017, containing a number of tracks previously released on their EP The Road. The album was shortlisted for the prestigious Mercury Prize in 2017. They are signed to Fiction Records and have toured internationally. They supported Pixies on their 2019 UK tour.
Eternity, in Your Arms is the debut studio album by English rock band Creeper. Released on 24 March 2017 by Roadrunner Records, it was produced by Neil Kennedy at The Ranch Production House in the band's hometown of Southampton, where the band had previously recorded their first three extended plays (EPs) – 2014's Creeper, 2015's The Callous Heart and 2016's The Stranger – also with Kennedy. The album is primarily categorised as horror punk, although it has also been described by critics as incorporating elements of pop punk, glam rock and post-hardcore into both its lyrical content and musical styles.
Idles are a British rock band formed in Bristol in 2009. The band consists of Adam Devonshire (bass), Joe Talbot (vocals), Mark Bowen (guitar), Lee Kiernan (guitar), and Jon Beavis (drums).
Pale Waves are an English rock band from Manchester, formed in 2014. It was founded originally as Creek when lead singer and guitarist Heather Baron-Gracie met drummer Ciara Doran while attending university in Manchester. The other members are guitarist Hugo Silvani and bassist Charlie Wood, completing the lineup. Pale Waves's early work is often described as 80s-inspired indie rock or synth-pop; their second and third albums, however, owe more to the pop-punk genre.
Big Joanie is a British punk band formed in London in 2013. Its members are Stephanie Phillips and Estella Adeyeri. Founding drummer Chardine Taylor-Stone left the band in 2023. After a few singles and EPs they released their first album in 2018 with Thurston Moore and Eva Prinz's Daydream Library Series, and have since signed to Kill Rock Stars in the U.S.
Fontaines D.C. are an Irish post-punk band formed in Dublin in 2014. The band consists of Grian Chatten (vocals), Carlos O'Connell (guitar), Conor Curley (guitar), Conor Deegan III (bass), and Tom Coll (drums).
Chubby and the Gang are an English rock band formed in West London in 2019. Consisting of vocalist Charlie "Chubby Charles" Manning-Walker, guitarists Ethan Stahl and Tom "Razor" Hardwick, bassist Maegan Brooks Mills and drummer Joe McMahon, the band was formed out of a number of UK hardcore punk bands, including Arms Race, Vile Spirit and Gutter Knife.
Automatic is a rock band from Los Angeles. Automatic’s members are Izzy Glaudini, Halle Saxon, and Lola Dompé.
Unwanted is the third studio album by English rock band Pale Waves. It was released on 12 August 2022 by the independent record label Dirty Hit. The record was produced by Zakk Cervini and recorded in Los Angeles. Production for the record began roughly half a year after Pale Waves released their second album, Who Am I? (2021), with the quick turnaround due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented the band from touring. Indebted to the pop-punk genre, Unwanted was intended to be heavier and more aggressive than the band's previous work.
Courting is a British electronic rock band based in Liverpool. The band is composed of Sean Murphy-O'Neill, Sean Thomas, Joshua Cope, and Connor McCann.
It's hard to tell if their recordings are from an obscure '90s alternative rock band's demo or are from the modern day.