IST IST ignites energy with new single “I AM THE FEAR”

Manchester's dark, brooding post-punk upstarts IST IST return, and they have wasted no time in trying to engage their listener into a world of intensity with their latest single "I AM THE FEAR". As the first taste of their soon-to-be fifth studio album "DAGGER," due by February 6, 2026, the song seems like both a forewarning and an invitation into the band's most electrifying times yet.

"I AM THE FEAR" is a cinematic soundscape and dark beast that breathes new life. Oscillating synth stabs glisten like static against a midnight sky, and meteor basslines thunder far below, tethering the track to an almost visceral immediacy. Guitar textures are piled on top of each other and crash into waves of feedback that sound both out of control, yet perfectly tamed.

Led by the confident vocals of Adam Houghton, his voice glows like a flare in the foggy production. The track doesn't merely play, it stalks, it engulfs you. There's a confidence to its composition that reflects the chemistry of all four players, which includes Houghton, guitarist Mat Peters, bassist Andy Keating, and drummer Joel Kay. The song, produced by Joseph Cross, is raw and cinematic in equal measure.

If there's any indication as to what DAGGER will deliver, with "I AM THE FEAR," we can look forward to a record that doesn't run from the shadow but instead, flourishes there. It's a voice that challenges and draws you in with every note.

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