Maria Chiara Argirò

Born in Rome but a Londoner by adoption, after completing her academic studies in the British capital, including a specialization in jazz music, Maria Chiara Argirò came into contact with These New Puritans, becoming their session player. The crucial turning point in her artistic journey came in 2016, with the release of her solo debut, “The Fall Dance”, followed three years later by “Hidden Seas”. Two excellent works that remained undeservedly in the shadows, the second also due to the pandemic that struck just months after its release, stifling any promotional momentum.

But in a 2020 devoid of live activity, Argirò took the opportunity to work tirelessly in the studio. First came “Flow”, made together with guitarist Jamie Leeming, and immediately after, the start-up of the Moonfish project, which sees her as a protagonist alongside drummer Riccardo Chiaberta. These works paved the way for “Forest City”, in which Maria Chiara marries her established jazz ambitions with a brand-new electro-ambient attitude for the first time, following the example of other artists such as Emma-Jean Thackray and Nala Sinephro.

“Forest City”, released in May 2022, represents an ambitious and extremely creative path of exploration that breaks away from London-rooted contemporary jazz to embrace multiple influences, unafraid of inviting comparisons that would be far too daunting for most, moving between a “Greenarp” that sits close to the Radiohead of “Kid A” and a “Bonsai” written while taking notes from the Jon Hopkins of “Immunity”. The more traditionally jazz-leaning instincts remain present in the refined instrumental codas of “Clouds” and “Blossom” (the latter close to the dreamy atmospheres of Beach House), just before the ambient solutions adopted for “Syr” and the indietronica developed for the closing “Treehouse”, with its elegant ripples. Also available is a special edition featuring the excellent bonus track “Unreal”.

Preceded by three singles doled out sparingly in the preceding weeks, her fourth album, “Closer”, was released on April 26, 2024.

(Claudio Lancia)