ISQ plays Crazy Coqs to launch her first album in eight years

Singer and songwriter Irene Serra, who performs as ISQ, will launch her new album The Silence Is Deafening with a show at Crazy Coqs on 15 October. The record is released on 23 October.

ISQ album launch at Crazy Coqs

The set will feature songs from the new album. It is her fifth record and the first she has released in eight years. It also marks a clear change of direction. The sound is darker and more cinematic, with guitar at the front and alternative pop and jazz in the background.

Richard Sadler plays bass in her band and Luca Boscagin plays guitar. Chris Nickolls is on drums and electronics. Between them, the players have credits with Neil Cowley Trio, Andy Sheppard and the Cinematic Orchestra. Serra has spent more than 20 years on the UK and Italian music scenes, where she has built a loyal following.

What The Silence Is Deafening is about

The eight tracks take their lead from women’s lives. Resilience among women sits at the heart of the record, along with wisdom handed down from one generation to the next. Social justice is the other main thread. Serra describes the album as a tribute to her mother’s resilience and to the many women whose stories mirror hers.

Some songs deal with mountain walks and migrant crossings. Others turn to mothers and daughters or to modern dating. Deception and survival also run through the record, which she says took a long time to make.

“The older I get, the more convinced I become that none of us arrives anywhere entirely by ourselves,” she said.

Tickets and full details for the launch are listed on Brasserie Zédel’s online calendar.