The Islas

A dynamic indie rock duo who describes themselves as a baby tiger (cuddly, innocent and cute, with some sharp teeth!), Nathan and Ross are taking on the music scene of Norwich as ‘The Islas’!

After meeting in college together ten years ago, in 2013, the duo has been producing their amazing work together since, and became ‘The Islas’ in 2019. The duo realised the importance of perseverance and finding their love for the art together when covid dampened their spirits and pressed pause on the music industry, and since then, the band has blossomed- releasing their EP ‘Oblivion’ in 2021, playing at ReWork’s Fleetwood Mac event in May of this year, as well as releasing ‘Who’s Your Money On’ and ‘We’ll always have tomorrow’ in the past few months!

As well as creating inspirational music, the pair is full of personality- describing themselves as a full Sunday Roast with all the extras (as there will always be something someone will like!). With Nathan being described as ‘sarcastic’ and a ‘relatively nice guy’ and Ross being ‘dark and gloomy, like all musical geniuses’, it is clear this duo will always keep us guessing! For Nathan, music has always been a nostalgic escape. From amplifying the good memories, to help with coping with the challenges life throws at us, music is an emotive and powerful tool for him.

For them, the fact that they could create their music with their friends, and make memories at the same time gave them the spirit to stay in the industry, even when times were tough- especially when many people mispronounce their name (by the way, it’s pronounced ‘Eye- Luhs’!). The music industry at times seems to be driven by money and covered in intense expectations of needing to tour constantly, but the duo is driven by their love and passion for producing. Times may be tough when money is short, but they are fuelled by enthusiasm and their friends, with many helping them out in their journey (whether that be on the drums, bass or piano), as well as their friend, Tom, being their producer.

Where did the name (which so many mispronounce!) come from? Nathan and Ross found naming the duo one of the hardest parts of producing their music (and they’re still often called ‘The Izluhs’!). To put a long story short- ‘Islas’ is Spanish for island, but how did this come about? The pair wanted to keep to their roots in the heart of Norwich, so immediately went to an icon of Norwich- Norwich City Football Club and their nickname as ‘The Canaries’. At the time, their friend, who was fluent in Spanish and from South America, was playing bass for them. Thus, they connected The Canary Islands with Norwich City’s ‘Canaries’ and discovered ‘Islas’ was Spanish for Island- and it stuck!

So, how does this duo create their amazing music? For them, it’s about resonating with their listeners, evoking strong emotions and crafting music from others perspectives, to create understanding and connection. Do you often feel as if life is running in fast forward? The fear of the sudden transition to adulthood and entering your 20s is at the core of their latest EP (and, I don’t know about you, but time seems to slip away too quickly for me- some days I think we all want life to be put on pause!). However, creating music is never linear. Some songs may be created over a long period of time, such as ‘Last Time Forever’, which originated from a poem, when the duo started experimenting with writing styles, meaning the music came at the end, compared to creating ‘All The Same’ in 30 minutes!

So, next time you get a moment of peace, take some time to check out their music with their moving lyrics, to make us realise that we are not alone with how we are feeling. Make sure to check out this dynamic duo on their social media (@theislasband), to keep updated for news of their exciting future, full of shows, laughs and new music!