Islands is one of those bands where you’re like, “Man, I don’t listen to enough Islands,” and then you listen to Islands and you’re like, “Man, I really love Islands.” Tl;dr, our squad led by the hero Nick Thorburn has returned with a new single called “Drown a Fish” which will be featured on the band’s forthcoming album What Occurs, out June 21. And you know what they say: if you drown a fish, it’ll drown once, but if you teach a fish to drown, it’ll drown forever. I think that’s the gist of the song, which is a lovely, slappy, and crunchy indie pop thriller filled with sharp edges that go down like a just-too-strong shot of whiskey.
“In my opinion, a compelling story is always full of contradictions, and with ‘Drown a Fish’ I was looking to throw my hat in the ring of Pop Songs About Lovelorn Losers Who Couldn’t Buy a Clue to Save Their Life,” Thorburn shares. “I set out to write a song that laid bare a series of ironic situations narrated by a delusional idiot because I think that’s more interesting than listening to an uplifting anthem about a flawless, self-empowered smartypants.”
Regarding musical influences on the track, he continues: “I’d been listening to a bit of The Three O’Clock, Elvis Costello & the Attractions (This Year’s Model and Armed Forces, specifically), and Kiwi Jr, and wanted to craft my version of a solid power-pop song. We recorded the song as a quartet (the same lineup since 2013) by sitting together in one room—a tucked-away studio on Vancouver Island—and playing the song live in a single take. Like a rock and roll band should! We sat down in a circle, learned the song, and then immediately pressed record. And that’s what you hear.”
Check out the video for the song below (warning, there’s fake poop involved!) and pre-order What Occurs here.
