Cult UK post-punks In Isolation set to release 28-track anthology

By Dom Smith
By June 1, 2022 Culture, News

Albums | Singles | Soundtracks’ is a new 28-track anthology by In Isolation comprising songs spanning 15 years, out on June 4, 2022.

Echos of 80s New Wave bands mix with darker underground music scenes of the era to produce a guitar and synth-based retro-futurist sound for the 21st Century.

Albums | Singles | Soundtracks’ packs in a decade-and-a-half-long career of songwriting and recording geared towards the Alternative music scene; never a tune sounding the same, always giving off a flavour of former music era glory days but never suggesting pinpoints of comparative song recognition.

Current In Isolation band members Ryan Swift, John Berry, Tony Ghost and Mike Sinclair (respectively of 90s Goth bands Emma Conquest, Die Laughing, Every New Dead Ghost and Dick Venom & The Terrortones) are four creative musicians and songwriters from Nottingham, England. Oliver Tanner, Joanna Moy and Tony Hart complete the historical roster.

2007 saw the release of In Isolation’s first dynamic single ‘The Wrong Girl’, a fire-fuelled anti-love song which later went on to appear in cult horror flick Zombie Hood (currently streaming on Amazon Prime in the U.K.)

Since then, In Isolation has released a multitude of Post-punk singles, alongside albums ‘A Certain Fractal Light’ (produced by legendary producer Gavin Monaghan) and the mid-pandemic-released New Wave classic ‘Shards’.

Many of the band’s lyrical themes (written by frontman Swift) pertain to matters of the heart; it is essentially one big love-fest, but with a dark, often cinematic vibe. Despite romantic forays, also explored are forced imprisonment in an apocalyptical landscape (‘Loving The Ghost’), a tribute to David Bowie (‘Elder Statesman’, written before the Starman passed away), diplomatic poisoning (‘Russian Doll’), and even contemporary astrophysics (‘TRAPPIST-1: A Space Anthem’).

To complement live performances alongside such luminaries as Toyah, B-Movie and Mark Burgess of The Chameleons, In Isolation are regularly approached to appear at the main U.K. Darkwave festivals such as HRH Goth and Whitby Goth Weekend, and have a healthy working relationship with the U.K.’s premier Alternative promoter Flag Promotions.

As willing bedfellows to ‘The Wrong Girl’, a string of In Isolation compositions have found their way into the visual streaming medium. Examples include ‘Loving The Ghost’, commissioned specially for gross-out movie Seepers: A Love Story by Sheffield director Melanie Gourlay – slated for release in the summer of 2022 – and ‘Film Noir Scandal’ which featured prominently in Canadian short Love In Dead Places.

One highlight of In Isolation’s career was an invitation for frontman Ryan to speak at an international astrophysics conference in Belgium, presenting the writing process of ‘TRAPPIST-1: A Space Anthem’ to a body of scientists and astronomers. NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program mentor Gary H. Blackwood, proclaimed that he was ‘thrilled by In Isolation’s anthem’.

Another highlight was the video production process for the single ‘She’s In Parties’, successfully executed from conception to edit by the band themselves. The video is currently the band’s most-streamed music video.

Recent single release ‘The Man Who Hides From Love’ boasts a music video having been created by a global collective of 17 animators, showcasing artists from Brazil, Norway, Canada, The Philippines, Indonesia and the U.K., including talent from respected TV networks such as The Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.

In Isolation’s releases have been championed over the years by Mercury Awards alumni Dean Jackson, BBC Introducing’s New Musicmaestro, going as far as placing ‘The Man Who Hides From Love’ on daytime radio rotation. Coupled with this recognition, Radio 6 Music’s Tom Robinson was instrumental in spinning In Isolation tracks on national radio.

In 2021, the entire In Isolation back-catalogue was curated by the British Library Sound Archive and preserved for access by future generations.

The band is currently writing its fourth album for release later in the year.

Of this 2022 anthology, frontman Ryan Swift says, ‘Our philosophy as songwriters is to capture the magical sounds and songwriting styles of our youth, reaching out to those who still love this style of music but find it increasingly difficult to dig through the force-feeding nature of the current mainstream musical climate. Hopefully, this collection will give listeners new and old the reassurance that the scene still thrives and that current bands are capturing the essence of those glory days, injecting romance and excitement and bringing contemporary appeal.’

The ‘Albums | Singles | Soundtracks’ album sleeve design features childhood photographs of current In Isolation members. 

In Isolation performs live for the official album launch in Leeds, U.K. at The Libraryvenue on 4th June 2022.

‘Albums | Singles | Soundtracks’ by In Isolation (Aye Aye Records) is released on 4th June direct from the band via inisolation.bandcamp.com (digital download). A crowdfunder campaign is underway with a view to producing a physical release later in the year. One formerly unreleased edit completes this anthology – ‘Loving the Ghost (Single Version)’.

Track listing:

  1. The Man Who Hides from Love (Single Version) **
  2. Truth or Dare *
  3. Parlance *
  4. Not Noticing *
  5. The Wrong Girl (from ‘Zombie Hood’ Soundtrack) **
  6. TRAPPIST-1: A Space Anthem **
  7. She’s in Parties **
  8. Loving the Ghost (Single Version) **
  9. A Certain Fractal Light *
  10. Tears *
  11. Film Noir Scandal (from ‘Love in Dead Places’ Soundtrack) *
  12. Berlin (Single Version) *
  13. Elder Statesman *
  14. Infinite **
  15. The Letter *
  16. Until The Next Show **
  17. Ghostburn *
  18. Russian Doll **
  19. Mist *
  20. Estrangement **
  21. Strange Thoughts (I Live Just for You) *
  22. The Man Who Hides from Love **
  23. Berlin (from ‘Zombie Hood’ Soundtrack and ‘Shooters’ TV Pilot) *
  24. Single Rotations of Love ****
  25. Isolated (Acoustic Version) **
  26. Gods *
  27. Loving the Ghost (from ‘Seepers: A Love Story’ Soundtrack) **
  28. Virus (from ‘The Politics Of Life’ soundtrack and ‘Eyeliner & Cigarettes’ TV Pilot) ***

* Produced by Gavin Monaghan at Magic Garden Recording Studio, Wolverhampton

** Produced by Adam Ellis at Deadline Studios, Leicester

*** Produced by Collapse

**** Produced by Albie

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