Australia’s Sonny Ism Explores the Rhythms of Island Life on Second Album

Sonny Ism has shared details of Island Impressions, his second album, scheduled to land on his own Northern Underground Records in July.

Ism is an Australian house artist born Xavier Bacash. After growing up in Melbourne where he played in soft rock bands, he moved to Copenhagen, Denmark where he began to throw parties and DJ alongside Kasper Marott (who features on the album) and the Regelbau crew. After three breakthrough EPs, namely 2017’s C.E., 2018’s Plastic World EP, and 2019’s The System, he put out his debut album, Union: Integration Of The Shadow, last year, exploring his experiences moving to colder climates.

He started Island Impressions not long after the release of his debut, when Denmark was entering its first lockdown. Around this time, he and his fiancé moved to a Swedish island called Ingarö, in Stockholm’s archipelago. It was here that inspiration arose from his surroundings. As he explored his new island home, regularly taking treks to pick berries and mushrooms, going fishing and swimming in the sea, the grooves and rhythms of island life flowed into his music.

Title-track “Island Impressions” captures feelings from watching a sunset and hearing the island birds into sound textures. “Et Andet Sted,” the opener, was formed around the rhythmic sounds of the ocean lapping on the sand, field-recorded after falling asleep on the beach.

Sonically, the album feels like a folder of different mind-states or impressions from his time on the island and mentally processing being so far away from family and friends during what was one of the most challenging years of his life, Ism says.

Tracklisting

01. Et Andet Sted
02. This Modern Life
03. Alpha Rhythm
04. Time 4 Love
05. Island Impressions
06. Vibe Science
07. Planet B
08. Archipelago Balerico
09. Favoured State
10. This Modern Life (Kasper Marott remix) [Digital version]

Island Impressions LP is scheduled for July 16 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “This Modern Life” and “Time 4 Love” in full below and pre-order via Bandcamp here.

Island Impressions by Sonny Ism

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Written by XLR8R Magazine