With "Obligations," Manchester post-punk band IST IST gives us a stunning final look at their upcoming fifth album, DAGGER, which will be released on February 6, 2026, on their own Kind Violence Records. The song came out on January 7, 2026, and it has the quiet weight of something that's been around for a long time. It doesn't rush to explain itself, but it stays with purpose.
"Obligations," the band's fourth and final pre-release single, feels like a moment of reflection, standing between the excitement of waiting and the promise of the whole album's reckoning. It follows Light a Bigger Fire (2024), the group's first new album in two years. This new album shows that the band is even more emotionally focused than before, which is something they are already known for.
The song was written by Adam Houghton, Andy Keating, Joel Kay, and Mat Peters, and produced by Joseph Cross. It talks about love not as comfort, but as a commitment that can both support and stifle you. Houghton's vision examines how memory and attachment are interconnected and how they shape identity through both good and bad experiences. The song doesn't try to solve anything; instead, it leans into acceptance, which is the idea that change is often necessary for survival, even when that change comes from loss.
Black Rock Creative directed the music video for the song, which makes it even more emotional. The video features London-based singer-songwriter and longtime friend Oliver Marson, adding a human touch that aligns with the song's themes of connection and openness.
"Obligations" doesn't yell for attention, it earns it. As the last door into DAGGER, it sets the tone for the album, which is shaped by endurance, emotional complexity, and the quiet strength that comes from being changed forever.
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