Belgian indie rock four-piece ILA drops fresh single ‘Sorry’ from upcoming album, Motherland, out via independent release this October. This one feels like spending a long time lovelorn, then looking up and realizing not only have you found yourself again, but that it wasn’t you, it was them.
Frontwoman Ilayda Cice chants “Are you feeling sorry? / Are you feeling bad?” in a way that would make me feel ashamed to be on the other side of the clash. The lyrics are simple, but the subtleties in the delivery are what make the lines so infectious. Her voice floats through the verses with a bright, dreamy quality, but when it’s time for the hook, it’s time for the punch.
[It’s about] turning heartbreak into resilience, finding strength where there was once only pain.
ILA ON THEIR SINGLE ‘SORRY’
During the chorus, Cice’s vocals show off some muscle and reveal a subtle grit that takes the track from a heartfelt interrogation to an eye to eye confrontation, with guitarist Mattias Stynen’s revved up licks for reinforcement.
The video for ‘Sorry’ is fish-eyed and minimal, but the black, red, white, gray and chrome palette give a dark, intimate, mysterious feel, like the overall sound of the single. Certain key lyrics are projected in scarlet as the background, with cuts to words shining over the singer’s lips and face. Something I think conceptual artist Jenny Holzer would dig.
Fun fact: producer Mikko Gordon, who has worked with Idles and Beck among others, handled this track. See if you can hear the throughline between this sound and Arcade Fire. I feel like I can, though I can’t explain exactly what it is.
Absolutely check this one out if you are open to some new grungy post-punk or if you have ever bounced back from a romantic split.
ILA – UK TOUR
4 November — The Brunswick, Brighton
5 November — The Peer Hat, Manchester
7 November — The Pack Horse, Leeds
8 November — Bear’s Bar & Venue, Bournemouth
ILA – FULL EUROPEAN TOUR
2 October — De Post, Hamont-Achel
22 October — Bar Dada, Lommel
24 October — Gigant, Apeldoorn
25 October — De Living, Heist-op-den-Berg
29 October — De Singer, Rijkevorsel
30 October — Gildhof, Tielt
4 November — The Brunswick, Brighton
5 November — The Peer Hat, Manchester
7 November — The Pack Horse, Leeds
8 November — Bear’s Bar & Venue, Bournemouth
16 November — Schokoladen, Berlin
17 November — Nochtwache, Hamburg
19 November — Rust, Copenhagen
21 November — Supersonic, Paris
27 November — Neushoorn, Leeuwarden
28 November — Ancienne Belgique, Brussels
3 December — Luxor, Arnhem
4 December — Patronaat, Haarlem
6 December — Volt, Sittard
11 December — Mezz, Breda
Find ILA on ilaband.com | bandcamp | instagram | youtube | apple music