Island of Love - Island of Love (2023)

London-based indie/rock trio Island of Love (Karim Newble, Linus Munch and Daniel Alvarez Giraldo) have announced their debut, self-titled album, out 12th May on Third Man Records. Today, they share the first slice "Grow/Blues 2000" (a double single melded into one!) from it. In addition, they have announced a string of European dates including Third Man London on 12th May and Rough Trade East on Saturday 13th May. Originally called 'Love Island' - until "Linus didn't make the audition process so we jumbled it around" (or, possibly, for legal reasons) - Third Man London's first signing settled instead on 'Island of Love'. For the label, an island within the UK music scene is exactly what Karim, Linus and Daniel are: feedback-fuelled adolescents with a depth of songwriting unheard since Teenage Fanclub's formative 'Catholic Education', and late '80s Dinosaur Jr. So mind-bendingly good are the group that Third Man co-founder and owner Ben Swank presented an offer approximately thirty seconds after they played the opening weekend of Third Man's new Soho digs (...new to the extent that the drummer left the stage with paint up his back). Bonded by playing in various punk, hardcore and metal bands in their hometown of London, Island of Love's now double frontmen, Linus and Karim, would write and share demos between their family homes. The lo-fi, fuzzy fruits of these sessions melded into 2020's seven song 'Promo Tape', followed by 2021's Third Man EP 'Songs of Love'. Now, no longer a bedroom project, they present their adrenaline-filled debut, awashed with guitar distortion, Linus and Karim's dark harmonies and contemplative lyrics beyond their teenage years. Out 12th May, this special release is sure to go down in both the TMR history books as well as mosh pits nationwide.