One of the most important bands on the European rock scene nowadays has to be Polish quartet Izzy and The Black Trees. In the last eight years they had not just reinvigorated the domestic market but made steady impressions in the UK, Low Countries (Netherlands, Belgium) and in the US. Their songs are routinely played on such legendary stations as KEXP, their records end up in the best of year compilations and they collaborate with iconic labels such as Antena Krzyku (Polish equivalent of 4AD).
Izzy and The Black Trees have two albums out to date “Trust No One” and “Revolution Comes in Waves”, one EP “Go On, Test The System” and about ten stand alone singles. Each release sees a slightly different version of themselves but if you had to put them in a box – post punk will do nicely. There is something captivating in the musical scapes provided by the band. They can be lyrical, political and sentimental, but never too obvious or in your face. A suitable margin is provided for those listeners who crave mystery and a space for their own interpretation. And I will consider this their strongest feature and maybe even a key to their success – don’t define yourself too well and you will be able to resonate with audiences far beyond your shores.
On December 3rd Izzy and The Black Trees finally unveiled their newest offering “Restless Nights” and I have to say I feel a bit nostalgic, but not because of the reasons music writers usually get misty eyed for.
I think I know where Iza Rekowska ( singer, band leader and main writer) got the idea for the single from. Humid nights, sudden thunderstorms, partying for long hours only to wake up sweating at 3 am. Believe me, this was my daily order for about a decade. The days were so hot, you’d spend them inside with at least two fans on. When the moon finally came out, you wandered outside to get some food and maybe hit a party later. Then you come home wasted hoping to get at least a few hours of snooze, only to be rudely awakened by a nearby building site and shouts of “Biggilla! Bigilla!” from a local market. Oh St Julian’s, I kind of miss you.
If you ever had a spicy bean dip known as bigilla before then you have realized that I used to live in Malta. If you ever found yourself in the middle of summer in the village of St Julian’s, I don’t need to explain to you how wild the night life is over there. For those who have never spent a day in the Mediterranean’s most sultry neighbourhood, “Restless Nights” can be a good introduction to the Malta party scene.
The first single off the band’s new album “Kisses to Chaos” feels like a stroll down St George Road in Paceville. It is an absolute cacophony of sounds, genres and inspirations. You catch one melody with one ear while another is already pulling you in.
St George Road is a main street in what used to be a quiet fishing village a good eighty years ago (pace means tranquil) but now is St Julian’s night club district – a place where high volume sounds only stop when you are deaf. On each side of the street there are different establishments – from metal bars to Irish pubs, discos and gentlemen’s clubs (a brothel in case you don’t know). Each place keeps their doors open and blasts music at the maximum strength that Delimara Power Station allows. It is not unusual to hear a dozen songs by walking the distance of just several yards, which leaves your head spinning due to sensory overload.
Now, put the headphones on and you will get the same feeling when you are listening to “Restless Nights”. Mariusz Dojs (lead guitar, backing vocals), Mateusz Pawlukiewicz (drums) and Łukasz “Mazdah” Mazurowski (bass) created something akin to a mini cosmos of genres contained in a single song. From a disco bass solo at the beginning to a mad post punk race at 1:20 min to free jazz inspired polyphonic improvisation at the end of the track. It feels like jumping from one style to another, as if you were walking a long set of musical stairs while trying to keep your balance. Well, St George Road does end with an epic short cut of 67 uneven steps (known locally as St Rita Steps) that connects Paceville to St George`s Bay. It is an ideal place for drunk revellers to break their limbs. But while tourists in Malta may slip and fall, Izzy and The Black Trees soar in their new incarnation. They are bolder, focused and happier to get out of their comfort zone. It is still the same old banner but the band have successfully reinvented themselves.
It is quite easy to pinpoint when the “Restless Nights” is happening. The lyrics are a give away: the buck moon indicates July’s full moon as it is time for male deers (or bucks) to start to grow their antlers. Native Americans used to call it Thunder Moon as well due to summer storms.
I like the passage about leaving one’s antlers at the door for others to use, almost like it`s an umbrella. It may be a weird fact to be quoted in a music review but antlers are truly an amazing invention. Once shredded, they become a mineral bank and building material for other animals, deers or rodents and even birds. In nature nothing is being wasted.
Where the song happens is a bit different. As I said, to me it feels like Malta, a place members of Izzy and The Black Trees visited in the past, but rather in private capacity, than on tour.
The lyrics mention YMCA. Well there is one in Malta, located on Merchants Street in Valletta (which has always been one of my favourite places in the capital, which locals affectionately call Belt or The City) but it is a long way from the club district in Paceville, unless you catch a ferry to Sliema. Great thing about small islands is that nowhere is truly too far away and there’s always some form of transport to catch. It’s the car traffic that’s the issue. The YMCA has offices all around the world so Malta is not the only location where the song could take place. It can be any town in the world really, like the city of Łódź in Poland for example.
To be very honest, I’d like Łódź to be a possible other destination for the song’s location. I’ve had the pleasure to visit the city and see some of its nightlife. I almost met David Lynch there too, but that’s a tale for another time. Let me however say that there is something very Lynchian about the song`s visual side.
The video to “Restless Nights” retains a charming 70s aura showing the members of the band partying till they drop, only to be woken up in sheer terror in their own beds. Director Nicolas Imbert managed to capture the nostalgia of the era, its trademark graphic effects and combined it with the industrial landscape of the city of Łodź, a town where Izzy and The Black Trees recorded the single. The end result almost feel dreamy, like an epilogue to David Lynch “Inland Empire”, where characters time travel though a series of worm holes and tears in the fabric of reality between parties, houses and filming sets. I hope it won’t sound too dismissive of the rest of the band, but the focus is always on the vocalist. Iza Rekowska transforms in the video from a 70s singer, to an actress to a Lost Girl (to keep with the “Inland Empire” theme) trapped in a time loop.
Every time she changes on screen, her mannerism is different. At times she acts joyfully like Bjork on “Debut”, otherwise she resembles PJ Harvey from “Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea” era. There are also moments where she resembles Donna Hayward of Twin Peaks. Not sure if Nicolas Imbert is a Lynch enthusiast but take it from me – a long time fan of the director, he did a splendid job. I could sit here for hours and pick up smaller details for my own personal entertainment. Like the clock stopping at 3 am. The clocks tell time , but they also bring (bad) luck. If it doesn’t make sense then you need to watch the director’s cut of “Inland Empire”. As I said, I can go on for hours about references in the video.
There is also a small nod from Izzy and The Black Trees themselves towards a Dutch band HOOFS, Iza wears their t-shirt throughout the video.
“Restless Nights” have been recorded with established music producer Marcin Bros (Moonglight, Artrosis – legends of Polish prog/art rock). It is the first single off their new album “Kisses to Chaos” out on 27th March 2026 via Antena Krzyku. The cover for the album and the single have been designed by Mariusz Dojs.
The band`s next single will be “Marseille” out on 16th January 2026.
Our previous coverage:
https://vanadianavenue.co.uk/tag/izzy-and-the-black-trees
Further reading:
https://wildfiremusic.net/2025/12/13/izzy-and-the-black-trees-capture-the-intensity-of-a-thunderstorm-with-restless-nights (UK)
https://m.suffissocore.com/site/scnews/37618/izzy-and-the-black-trees-restless-nights (Italy, Single of The Week)
https://www.frontview-magazine.be/en/news/rock-powerhouse-izzy-and-the-black-trees-drop-new-single-restless-nights-today-announce (Belgium)
https://vampster.com/news/izzy-and-the-black-trees-kuendigen-neues-alternative-rock-post-punk-album-kisses-to-chaos-an (Germany)
https://mondobizarremagazine.com/2025/12/06/izzy-and-the-black-trees-restless-nigh (Portugal)
https://www.rte.ie/radio/2fm/2fm-alternative-with-dan-hegarty/2025/1215/1549213-2fm-alternative-with-dan-hegarty-monday-15-december-2025 (Single of the Week, Ireland, 14:00 minute mark)
https://www.afera.com.pl/muzyka (Poland, listed among releases of the week)
Malicia Dabrowicz
Indieterria 