Manchester post-punk group release lead single I Am The Fear ahead of sixth February release
Manchester post-punk outfit IST IST will release their fifth studio album on 6 February 2026 through Kind Violence Records. The album follows 2024’s Light A Bigger Fire, which entered the UK charts at number 30.
Artist: Ist Ist
Release Date: 2026-02-06
Genres: Alternative Rock, Darkwave, Gothic Rock, Indie Rock, Post-rock
Label: Kind Violence Records
Description: IST IST, post-punk, darkwave, Kind Violence Records, Manchester music, Joe Cross, Dagger album, I Am The Fear, independent music, UK post-punk
The band began work on the record immediately after returning from European tour dates in late 2024. Guitarist Mat Peters has stated that the proximity to live performance influenced the writing process, describing the approach as “more visceral” and less calculated than previous sessions. The material was developed with this stage-readiness already factored in.
Joe Cross, who has worked with Hurts, Courteeners and Slow Readers Club, produced the album. Cross had collaborated with the band previously. Bassist Andy Keating has described the recording as deliberately less cautious than their recent work, positioning the record closer in directness to their 2017 debut Architecture.
The opening track “I Am The Fear” was released last week as the album’s first single. The album was self-funded and self-recorded. Kind Violence Records is the band’s own label.
IST IST formed in Manchester in 2014. The group consists of Adam Houghton (vocals), Andy Keating (bass), Mat Peters (guitar) and Joel Kay (drums). Their debut album Architecture was released in 2017, followed by The Art of Lying in 2020 and Protagonists in 2023. They have toured with Editors, Interpol and White Lies.
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