Island of Love was an English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band formed in London in 2019. The first UK signing to United States record label Third Man Records, the band released two EPs alongside their 2023 debut album ''Island of Love''.

History

Island of Love was formed by members of multiple

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

bands. Karim Newble, Daniel Alvarez-Giraldo and Linus Munch were all members of Sterile, amongst other groups, and Jimmy Guvercin was a member of Urine Charge. The members met at East London recording studio Fuzzbrain studios in 2019 through these previous bands and soon began discussing the formation of a band together. Named for the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

dating show ''

Love Island Love Island may refer to: Film * ''Love Island'' (1952 film), an American film directed by Adam Lloyd starring Todd Wathen and Eva Gabor * ''Love Island'' (2014 film), directed by Jasmila Žbanić Music * ''Love Island'' (album), a 1978 album ...

'', they began writing music at Newble and Munch's parents houses, with the first written being "Low", while at Newble's mum's house. following the September 2020 fire which burn down Fuzzbrain, both Newble and Linus began writing and recording demos separately with Fuzzbrain's Ben Spence at his parents' house. This culminated in the band's debut release, March 2020's ''Promo Tape'' EP, which was released physically by Smoking Room Records. In September 2021, they performed at London's the Blue Basement venue owned by Third Man Records, following which, the record label's co-owner Ben Swank approached the band with the offer of signing them. On 9 February 2022, they released the single "Songs of Love". The release was coincided with the announcement that the band were the first signing to the London imprint of Third Man Records, and that the label would be releasing their debut EP ''Songs of Love'' on 18 March. On 17 February 2023, they released their double single "Grow / Blues 2000" and announced that their debut album ''Island of Love'' would be released on 12 May. On 14 March, they released the EP's second single "At Home". In June, they performed at Bigfoot Festival 2022, and opened for Jack White, at the

Hammersmith Apollo The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Palace. Located in Ham ...

. On 17 March, the album's third single "Fed Rock" was released, followed on 23 April, by the release of "I’ve Got the Secret". On 11 October, the band announced on their Instagram page that the band had disbanded.

Musical style

Critics have categorised the band as

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

and

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

, often making use of elements of

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

, jangle pop,

college rock College rock was the alternative rock music played on student-run university and college campus radio stations located in the United States and Canada in the 1980s. The stations' playlists were often created by students who avoided the mainstream ...

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

, garage punk,

shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...

, punk rock,

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...

and

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

. Their music often makes use of fuzz in both guitar tones and vocals. They also use

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

production techniques. '' DIY'' writer Bella Martin likened their sound to "90s

slacker rock Slacker rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music and lo-fi music that originated in the United States in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Definition The term typically refers to a style that is more laid back and relaxed when compared to reg ...

with a DIY punk aesthetic, or the Cribs at their least immediate via the kind of tempered sonic layering that circa-2010 breakthroughs

Japandroids Japandroids are a Canadian rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, consisting of Brian King (guitar, vocals) and David Prowse (drums, vocals).Lindsay, Ca"No Fun City Rockers" ''Exclaim!'', May 2009 accessed November 10, 2010. Formed in 2006 ...

and

Cloud Nothings Cloud Nothings is an American indie rock band from Cleveland, Ohio, United States, founded by singer-songwriter Dylan Baldi. It currently consists of lead singer and guitarist Dylan Baldi, drummer Jayson Gerycz, bassist Noah Depew, and guitarist ...

were fond of". ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' writer Becky Rogers cited them as merging influences from

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

and the

garage rock revival Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

. ''Brighton and Hove News'' writer Nick Linazasoro described them their music as "loud, ragged and raw punk, but with a melodic west coast indie Barracudas grunge edge". They have cited influenced including

Dinosaur Jr. Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984, originally simply called Dinosaur until legal issues forced a change in name. The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter), Lou Barlow ( ...

, Hüsker Dü, Built to Spill, Rick Maguire of Pile, John Fahey, Michael Hurley, the Cribs, the Maccabees, Steve Hartlett of Ovlov,

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...

, Duster, Sebadoh,

, Thin Lizzy,

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

the Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

Natasha Bedingfield Natasha Anne Bedingfield (born 26 November 1981) is a British singer and songwriter. Bedingfield released her debut album, '' Unwritten'', in 2004, which contained primarily up-tempo pop songs and was influenced by R&B music. It enjoyed intern ...

, the Strokes and Girls.

Members

;Final * Karim Newble – guitar, vocals (2019–present) * Linus Munch – guitar, vocals (2019–present) * Daniel Alvarez-Giraldo – bass (2019–present) ;Former * Jimmy Guvercin – drums (2019–2022)

Discography

;Albums *''Island of Love'' (2023) ;EPs *''Promo Tape'' (2020) *''Songs of Love'' (2022)

References

{{reflist Musical groups established in 2019 English garage rock groups English indie rock groups Musical groups from London English alternative rock groups Third Man Records artists