Coming to you from the cold East Coast this morning with a warm breeze of music flowing in from Australia. The trio known as Izy (pronounced eye-zee) based out of Melbourne and have a debut full-length entitled Irene. Young in age but wise as an old sage, these three originally from the tropical north of Oz inject a lot of feeling into this music and awaken the spirit of Curtis Mayfield and modern day viruosos like D’Angelo in this ten song Lp. This long player was named after guitarist Ryo Montgomery’s paternal grandmother, who was an important factor as the band was coming up. Montgomery, drummer Maru Elias Nitor, and bassist Warrigo Tyrell all were lucky enough to come from musical families. Whether it was playing straight up Blues, Aboriginal protest rock, or cumbia, their music and culture (Kalkadoon and Waanyi nations) went hand in hand.
This album is a tangled culmination of interpersonal relationships; love, society and land. We three are super blessed to share stories and when we connect, we amplify and respond to each other, which makes it easy to create music and get our message across for our family and our community.”
The band recorded this record on the land of the Kulin Nation and Wurundjeri people. And as the band puts it: “We hold a deep gratitude for the privilege to record, perform and live on Aboriginal land. Stolen land. To the elders past, present and emerging we hold a lifelong respect and responsibility to listen, learn and act.” The first track we get to hear is “No Further Than You”, a soulful, funky little joint that feels like some 2021 Soulquarians meets mid 70s jazz riffs. It’s a sound we totally dig. This record comes out on March 26st on Hope Street Recordings. Stream the track below and purchase the full length after the stream.
Dig Deeper!
Flea Market Funk 