One of the very first tracks we created for our post-punk alias, Disunity is a song called, 'Ishtar' and it takes a deep dive into the dark and harrowing world of addiction, drawing a poignant parallel to the ancient Akkadian poem, The Descent of Ishtar to the Netherworld.



The lyrics paint a stark picture of a young woman’s spiral into the depths of substance abuse, mirroring Ishtar’s mythological descent into the underworld.

In the poem, Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, ventures into the netherworld, facing numerous trials and shedding her earthly adornments at each gate. Similarly, the protagonist in the song is stripped of her vitality and dreams, descending further into the abyss with each stanza. The haunting chorus, "dead but alive with nothing to do, on a downward spiral, and no way through," captures the essence of Ishtar's journey—caught between life and death, unable to return to her former self.

Just as Ishtar's journey into the underworld is a metaphor for confronting and overcoming the darker aspects of existence, the song portrays a modern-day struggle against the metaphorical underworld of addiction. Each verse strips away layers of the protagonist’s former life, much like the gates of the netherworld strip Ishtar of her power and glory.

This artistic fusion of ancient myth and contemporary issues creates a powerful commentary on the timeless nature of human suffering and the enduring quest for redemption. We hope that 'Ishtar' by Disunity not only serves as a poignant piece of post-punk music but also as a modern retelling of one of history's oldest stories, reminding us of the cyclical nature of hope and despair.