SONG PICK: ISLAND - Octopus (Video)
“Octopus”, the new single by London four-piece ISLAND opens with the band’s signature guitar sound, first a few bright tunes before the catchy rhythm section hits and the compelling vocals take us on a ride. For this single, ISLAND went into the studio with producer Mikko Gordon (Thom Yorke) and the result is still very much what fans came to love from the band plus new textures, instruments, and of course recording techniques. They maybe never sounded more like themselves than with “Octopus.” As if the captivating single alone wasn’t enough, they also add a fantastic, slightly surreal band video to the mix, directed by Joel Barney.
When asked about their newest œuvre, the band says:
‘Octopus’ describes the feeling of looking back on rebellious teenage years from a time where an impulse to cause trouble has been replaced with new sentiments. It’s about the conflict felt as a musician between wanting to grow older and wiser and wanting to stay young, and it asks if we as a world are only interested in stories, and whether normality is something to be desired. A world in which you might be persuaded to change yourself to fit in, like an octopus changes colour to adapt to its surroundings. The song ends by flirting with the idea of reverting back to old ways, and getting back to making trouble.
Sounds appealing, doesn’t it? And maybe we should all allow ourselves -these days especially- to once in a while do silly things that we loved doing as children. This helps to change perspectives and bring some additional joy to ourselves. A song plus video like “Octopus” certainly brings a little joy and smiles into my life, and I will never forget having met and seen ISLAND live, almost two years ago, headlining our showcase. We are excited to know the pandemic did not stop ISLAND from being creative and here’s to more cool music in the future!
Enjoy the inspirational video and listen to “Octopus,” our Song Pick of the Day:
Connect with ISLAND on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram add “Octopus” to your playlist as we are adding it to our glamglarepick playlist on Spotify:
Photo credit: Christian Cargill