youtu.be
Ishtar Sr. - Ishtar, Reprise
WARNING: Flashing images!
This is the final video off Ishtar Sr.'s debut album Divine Ecdysis out May 21, 2021.
Main artist, song producer, lyricist: Savan DePaul (Ishtar Sr.)
Featured artist/lyricist: CODEi
Director, videographer: Evugh Ohman
Production assistants: Collin McGrail & Beans Sasso
https://savandepaul.bandcamp.com/album/divine-ecdysis
https://grimalkinrecords.bandcamp.com/
May 21, 2021: Ishtar Sr. aka Savan DePaul (they/them, he/him) is a Gr collective member based in Philadelphia, PA. The Ishtar Sr. project birthed itself out of the need to embrace their identity and experiences in their totality. They embraced it all, from the bodily autonomy right down to the ruthless interrogation of everything they’ve seen, done, and internalized. 2020 ended up being the complete unveiling of this alternate musical persona alongside a couple of EPs and singles, but it all started with a collection of demo recordings made in late 2017 to early 2018. These original demos for Divine Ecdysis acted as their entry point into an openly queer outlook; as they evolved into fully fledged songs and they evolved personally, their vision began to sharpen.
Standing in at 16 songs and stretching 46 minutes, Divine Ecdysis highlights this personal journey while observing the experiences fellow queer/trans people see. The album’s sci-fi/mythological bend nestles various odes to gender-nonconformity, sexual autonomy, queer acceptance, and self reflection. Amidst these major themes the listener can find reflections on poverty (“Jazz House Exit”), snitch infiltration (“Johnson’s Plight”), oppressive/exploitative hierarchies (“2700”, “Operation Cocoon Kill”) and much more. They handled the bulk of the production and engineering, and the various guest artists and producers added their unique touches to complete the recipe. Divine Ecdysis knowingly arranges itself into a wholly Afrofuturist musical excursion.