A new EP of emotive alt-pop from King Isis has been an annual occasion worth looking forward to dating back to March 2023’s debut Scales. With the most recent installment in this series, the Oakland-based songwriter opened their sound up to incorporate the disaffected sounds of ’90s alt-rock as heard in grunge and unplugged sessions—in addition to also incorporating collaboration from Bartees Strange, Monte Booker, Greyskiin, and Estelle Allen, who all assist King Isis in shaping the five songs on Sirenity into a cohesive statement on the catharsis inherent in self-growth.
Considering the EP’s focus on emotional breakthroughs, King Isis threw together a playlist for us spotlighting the music that’s assisted them in that personal development over the years, ranging from the solace they found in Conor Oberst’s lyrics while in middle school to more recent influences like Dijon whose music feels crucial for getting through certain periods of intrusive thoughts. Beyond these songs’ comforting lyrics, the songwriter even notes how Saya Gray provided production inspiration on Sirenity, with guitar tones that tend to invite a good scream-cry. Check out all of their picks below, and stream or purchase the new EP here via Dirty Hit.
Lauryn Hill, “I Gotta Find Peace of Mind”
This is the one I cry to. I love the raw emotion that comes through her voice in this song. The lyrics, the performance, the vocals—all of it just creates the space that you need when searching for that peace inside yourself.
Hiatus Kaiyote, “The Lung”
This is definitely my go-to relaxation song. Anytime I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed, this song always helps to center me. I love Hiatus Kaiyote, but this one in particular really hits home for me.
Alex G, “Change”
Alex G in general is a go-to on long drives cross country on tour. Specifically when we’re driving through the middle of nowhere—long roads, two lanes of traffic, just open, empty fields. The lyrics definitely resonate on those long stressful tour stretches.
Laila Smith, “The Most Important Thing About Me Is That I Do My Best”
She just gets it. If I could make a bunch of money, I would, too. One of my favorite songs right now that hits all the emotions—the yearning, the crisis, the existentialism, all of it. She gets it.
Dijon, “Rodeo Clown”
I absolutely love this whole album. I play this when those thoughts start to creep in, the nights where everything starts to feel so pointless—so I cuddle up with my partner and everything starts to feel OK again.
Saya Gray, “If There’s No Seat in the Sky (Will You Forgive Me???)”
This is another incredible one for long drives in the car (I do a lot of that on tour!). Also definitely a great one for production inspiration. I love her vocals and guitar tones. When I need to scream-cry, this song is on the queue.
Bright Eyes, “Poison Oak”
Bright Eyes was an integral part of my middle and high school years and definitely helped me through all of the feelings. I was deep in the closet (didn’t acknowledge it, though) and dealing with a lot of anxiety and depression and it felt like I was heard in this song, somehow. Sometimes when you’re sad you need sad things, and this was my go-to.
yeule, “Don’t Be So Hard on Your Own Beauty”
Something about their voice on this song, I don’t know. A soft song with just vocals and acoustic guitar does everything it needs to do sometimes. The vocal melody and rhythm is constant, leaving no space for the intrusive thoughts to find their place. A perfect song for when I need to drown out the noise.
Kanye West feat. 070 Shake, “Ghost Town”
070 Shake’s part on this song really does what it needs to do when I need to feel something again.
Frank Sinatra, “My Way”
This song reminds me that I’m OK, I’m strong enough, that I can do it, too. When the imposter syndrome starts to kick in really hard, this song is immediately blasted.
