‘unhinged, euphoric, wonderful’ Pitchfork
‘A model of how a left-leaning rock band ought to conduct themselves’ NME
Islet, as in small island, is pronounced ‘eyelet’. Islet are a band’s band, a band who make people want to start a band. They’ve been playing by their own rules since forming in Cardiff in 2009, where the four members were drawn together by a common desire to affirm life through the making of noise. Since then they’ve released three albums and a handful of EPs on their own label Shape and on Fire Records. In 2023 wife and husband team Emma & Mark Daman Thomas and friend Alex Williams were rejoined by brother John ‘JT’ Thomas. Founding member JT, who was absent for 2020’s ‘Eyelet’ album, has now returned on drums, this fixing of roles a shiny new consistency for the band who have previously switched instruments. What persists throughout their music is an intense energy: driving rhythms with unexpected shifts; inventive, playful lyrics and vocals that shapeshift from airy to unleashed.