I appreciate a band that can deliver both immediate thrills and deep-seated growers. The band IONS has been releasing singles for a couple years now, and the time has finally arrived. Their sophomore album dropped on November 10th, and it is called Counterintuitive.
IONS comes to us from Prague. I actually don’t know that much about them, except that they’ve produced some high quality music videos and know how to write good songs. The band lineup is Shorty Lago, Jakub Tirco, Milan Zolota, Jiří Horák, and Martin Pisko. You’ll also hear Paolo Raineri on trumpet, and Nina Tarasovičová and Ivana Pinčáková on vocals on some tracks.
I’ve mentioned Dead Letter Circus a few times while talking about IONS, and I think that still stands. The band plays progressive rock that leans into prog metal, but there are deep influences from alternative, post-rock, and other spacey rock sounds. They often hit pretty hard with huge riffs and terrific drumming, but they also sometimes weave and hover with ambient grace and acoustic reverence. Vocals are strong and melodic with some screams here and there.
The main impression I get from this album is that IONS knows how to write a good song, and they do this in two ways. They have the catchy, immediate tracks, like “A Terrible Mistake” or “Run”, that have addictive choruses and tightly written melodies. Those songs are easy to love from the beginning. Then there are other tunes, like “True Friendship” or “Birds of Reminiscence”, that take a little more time and investment, but end up being even better in the long run. A band that can produce both types on a single record is poised to take the world by storm.
Counterintuitive is a wonderful album. I like how the two catchiest tracks begin and end the album respectively. “A Terrible Mistake” opens, and was one of my favorite songs last year; it doesn’t seem to get old with its hard-hitting groove and outstanding chorus. “Run” is a little more stream-of-consciousness; it slow-burns its way to a soaring climax that closes the album convincingly.
Some other favorites are “True Friendship”, “The Same As You”, “Out of Sight”, and “Birds of Reminiscence”, though every single track is great and some of the others are really growing on me. “True Friendship” is one of the longer tracks, and it establishes a driving rhythm that is heavy and engaging; I love how this song never lets up, and it only grows denser and more alive near the end. “The Same As You” takes a couple listens, but it has some real muscle, much of that surprisingly coming from the keys and atmosphere.
“Out of Sight” is truly great song with its gorgeous keys, harsh vox, and vicious riffs; I love the way it spaces out near the end with cool drumming and a sense of relief. And maybe my favorite overall, “Birds of Reminiscence” is mostly an easygoing, atmospheric beauty with various transitions back and forth between ambience and heavy riffs. As it continues, the louder parts get heavier, and the song really hits a concentrated stride in the second half. I especially like the gorgeous trumpet interlude that feels just right. That song gets better every time I hear it.
IONS have a thrilling and beautiful record on their hands. Not only is it produced and performed with utter clarity, it is also written and conceived with gravity and momentum. I love how tight the music feels, while it also allows itself room to breathe and emote. This album really rocks, and this band definitely has created one of the hidden treasures of the year.
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Find IONS online:
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The PROG Mind 