"4leaf clover" is the sound of King Isis seeking optimism from stagnation

Theirs is a new voice on the scene, but it is instantly impactful. "4leaf clover" puts King Isis’ velvet delivery front and centre, with every note carefully imbued with feeling and crafting a rich world. It’s brave, exposed, and all the more powerful for it - the trust King Isis has in their songwriting is evident and glows throughout their performance.

Now based in LA, King Isis' debut is released through No Matter in partnership with Dirty Hit, joining legions of labelmates who are also characterised by their evocative songwriting and storytelling. After years of classical training and learning to play the piano belonging to Omega King - one of Chicago’s first Black opera singers and Isis’ great-great-great grandmother - they are now breaking free of the rigidity. It makes sense, then, that "4leaf clover" is free-flowing and simple, but still stops you in your tracks.

On the song, Isis shares “I wrote "4leaf clover" when I was in a creatively depleted place. I wanted to get out of this loop. I was stuck in a cycle of numbing myself, moving on auto-pilot, not really living but just going with the motions. I wrote this to get out of that reality and get out of my head.”

“I wanted to release "4leaf" first because it felt like the most authentic introduction to me and my music,“ they continue. “It’s kind of a free-write and note to self. All my songs start as acoustic shells with myself in a room with the guitar, pen and paper. We recorded this in one take as a capsule of the actual moment. "4leaf clover" is a song that I wrote in the dark to make room for the light, and can hopefully be there for others in those moments as well.”