Ist Ist – Light a Bigger Fire Review

They had a bonfire on their hands with previous effort Protagonists but Ist Ist wish to kindle the blaze further. Light a Bigger Fire. It is always a risk worth taking and the band moves from strength to strength, as expected of them. On goes their new post-punk style, heavy on the guitars and still enjoying the joys of a deeper tone from Adam Houghton. A sense of loss in the face of true joy pours through this release, a burial of your expectations after achieving what you always wanted. Punchy bits of new work from the promising, long-running Greater Manchester band are always a treat. For the man feasting on the last of his discontinued Caramac bars to push off the flu, they provide a joyous calm before the vomiting storm. These bars are out of date. This illness is long-winded. Ist Ist is still quality.  

Light a Bigger Fire was always going to be a big ask of the band and there appears to be no shortage in the surplus of bold ideas which form the best of their works. Opener Lost My Shadow feels the urgency of losing a loved one, the conflicting emotions and adrenalin immediately following the act are felt here. Momentum carries Houghton through this one as it did with most of their songs on previous album Protagonists. They are still the lead in many of these songs but there is more room given to the instrumental explosions surrounding the frontman. Such is their style and as plain as it may be to some, Ist Ist makes the most of this easy access to their messages and meaning. But this is not just the meandering powers of post-punk, Ist Ist sounds broader than that. Lighter flourishes like Repercussions are a chance to dive into the band’s well-developed sound that bit more.  

There is a synth indulgence heard through Light a Bigger Fire which frees the band up that little bit more. A swinging sound that gears Ist Ist up as a collection of musicians with a Future Islands mindset to them. Intimate detail, and out-there instrumentals provide such a joy to hear. Confident work but, crucially, with this growth in interest, they have not lost what made their previous works so intimate. This bigger fire is a broader one, and there is no harm in hearing their wider sound at work. Songs like Dreams Aren’t Enough get to grips with this new tone well and there is much to love about Light a Bigger Fire. Lyrically charmed works, moments of impotence in the face of fear and whining guitar work solidify this numbness through trauma.  

Ist Ist hits on those heavy notes with a spectacular consistency on Light a Bigger Fire. Decent work the whole way through, enough to carry a vaguely changing sound which lingers on the likes of Something Else. Demanding vocals are the key to unlocking Light a Bigger Fire, bold and booming through this piece. An urgency overwhelms the clarity once heard in their sound, with new emotions flickering away and having a grand knock-on effect. This is a nice next step for the band who mask the sometimes-lacking lyrical brutality with sharp instrumentals. They know where to cover, using their instrumental caulk as a buffer between audience expectations and rare shortcomings. Light a Bigger Fire burns bright but extinguishes itself rather rapidly. A spectacle worth listening to, for sure, but Ist Ist must keep kindling this fire.