MP3DB.pro - Ice Baths - Island Gardens (EP) (2026)

Ice Baths (Alex, Diogo, Ed & Tom) make a long-awaited return with their new EP ‘Island Gardens’ on the Cornish-based label Krautpop!. The EP demonstrates the different avenues Ice Baths have been exploring since their last release.
The EP opens in a sleepy fashion, ‘DFW’ slowly wakes up, gathers itself, builds momentum to a chaotic culmination, before sloppily falling back into its bed. Immediately however the title track ‘Island Gardens’ sucker punches you with the snappy frustrations of a global pandemic scuppering best-laid plans - “I’ve got lines in my face/I chased away my dreams, out the window and out of sight”. ‘Eko Wine Bar’ drunkenly swims into view, a combination of distorted saxophones accompanied by the story of mysterious ongoings at a possible fictional/factual venue. ‘Tokens’ immediately sobers the listener up again fast, a gothic-new-wave-punk weigh-up of the sadness and humour (“Sitting in a cheap tent/Ripping your bong hit”) of putting your strength in seemingly small things. ‘Emily Did Say’ closes out the EP with a dip into the baroque that mixes the ghost of a guitar played with a metal pole with a descending, ballroom-esque chorus.
The band have previously released a well received self-titled debut album (‘Ice Baths’) and a follow-up EP (‘Decadent Sprinter’), both released on the esteemed London imprint Blank Editions.
These releases saw the band join a heavyweight roster that included the likes of Thurston Moore, Black Country, New Road, Housewives, Douglas Hart (The Jesus and Mary Chain), Ben Vince, and more and even garnering support from Tom Ravenscroft, resulting in a live session on BBC 6. Over the past few years, Ice Baths have shared stages with the likes of Crack Cloud, H-Grimace, Squid, HMLTD, Autobahn, Ulrika Spacek, Phobophobes, Drahla, and more, playing shows across the UK, including London’s famous 100 Club, The Brudenell Social Club in Leeds & The Old Hairdresser in Glasgow.
The ‘Island Gardens’ EP is the culmination of all members contributing and combining their unique songs with a free and experimental approach in how to attack them in the DIY High-Line Deco studio, with the help of good friend Martin Pease behind the boards.