Giorgio Ciccarelli

by Claudio Lancia

For about fifteen years he tied his name to that of Afterhours, an experience that alone places him among the select ranks of the most pivotal Italian musicians of recent years. Besides having contributed to the making of landmark albums by Manuel Agnelli's band – his contribution to the writing of “The Milanese kill off Saturday night” and “Padania” is of particular note – Giorgio Ciccarelli has also been the guiding spirit behind other significant projects on the independent circuit, among which special mention goes to the irreverent Sux!, whom I happened to see live opening for Afterhours, as well as his work as a collaborator with Carnival Of Fools, the project of Mauro Ermanno Giovanardi, and with Six Minute War Madness, the band of Xabier Iriondo.

His beginnings date back to the Eighties, in minor bands such as Colour Moves and Sundowner. After leaving Afterhours in 2014, at the end of the tour supporting “Padania”, Giorgio Ciccarelli has pursued a solo career of great quality, once again facing all the difficulties inherent in trying to carve out space within an increasingly saturated "alternative" music scene.

“A Luci Spente”, his fourth album under his own name, released in November 2025, proves to be a mature and very well-arranged work, halfway between his past experiences and a form of singer-songwriting that might recall the Fossati of “La disciplina della terra”. With his trademark rasping voice, he immediately delivers a track with a sumptuous gait, “Lights Out”, the title track, built on skillful piano-composed textures. Guitars take center stage on the following “Peccati”, and throughout the rest of the record there's also room for numerous electronic touches, as in the closing section of “Nesuno è niente”. Dark and menacing on “Dentro il vuoto”, more radio-friendly on “Muori e sei vivo”, inspired by Emidio Clementi on “Difficile come ogni cosa”, Ciccarelli proves he has plenty of tricks up his sleeve, showing great emotional intensity. “Lights Out” is a candid, introspective album, entirely produced and performed by Ciccarelli himself, who renews his collaboration with writer and screenwriter Tito Faraci, author of the lyrics, outlining a journey that tackles painful themes but, despite everything and everyone, also points to a possible way out.

www.giorgiociccarelli.com