Photo credit: Yulissa Benitez
Written by: Isabella Martino
19-year-old Isaac Dunbar continues to revolutionize pop music with his 4th EP, Banish the Banshee. Each song was written and produced by Dunbar himself.
Banish the Banshee infuses modern pop with a breadth of styles, ranging from baroque disco-pop to 80s hip hop and 70s funk. It explores themes of love, sexuality, self-expression, and self-acceptance, and navigating these things as an adolescent with an avoidant attachment style and a satirical sense of aloofness.
Every song on this album tells a story; it feels like it belongs on every good film soundtrack: it’s the one you hear during the climax of the movie, a dramatic tear-jerker, or the one that plays as you begin to sympathize with the villain.
The album is an emotional, story-like journey that guides the listener through his intimate experiences. The opening track “Sunburn” wrestles with Dunbar learning to be his own source of happiness. The next song, “Bleach” outlines him cutting out everyone in his life in a self-destructive spree in an attempt to live up to the lesson he learned in the previous track.
Dunbar outlines the complexity of growing up, how hard it is to find a balance, and more often than not, allowing insecurity to wreck and misconstrue lessons learned.
Photo Credit: Yulissa Benitez
Photo Courtesy of Isaac Dunbar.
From calling the songs parables, which liken his words to the morals Jesus told; to naming his alter-ego the banshee, a female spirit who warns others of impending doom. Dunbar subverts gender stereotypes and reclaims religious narratives through his uniquely queer lens. “Gummy” and “Banish the Banshee” are standout songs on the album that trail this message.
Between the intimacy of this album, and the way Dunbar is able to seamlessly infuse a variety of genres into his pieces, Banish the Banshee is the new blueprint for coming-of-age music.
To catch Isaac Dunbar live this summer, check out the dates for his American tour.