Debris Hill - The hill, the ocean, the ghost town

Imagine running into a friend you haven't seen in a long time who asks what kind of music you make. What song do you play them?

I'd play them "One Way Or Another," the shortest one. That way I wouldn't come on too strong. In a different version from the one on the album, because if it's a friend of mine I don't want to make things too easy for them.

Before, during, and after, there was, is, and will be a band called Farglow. There was one called Greve. Another one involving long hair and naivety, and finally a lot of music nobody's ever listened to, scattered across various hard drives and streaming platforms. Anyway, right now there's also a brand-new band just getting started.

I think it's amazing that you managed to write "Sidekick" not like the classic post-emo or nineties-style songwriting record, but by imagining a band alongside you, which isn't easy but makes the record feel even more personal, even in its purely musical aspect. In a way, though, you can tell that self-producing the record was a bit of a limitation on what you wanted to do. Do you agree?

Probably, but for now it's the only way I know how to make music. Especially in practical terms. I started working on it without really knowing what the final result would be. Intentionally. With basically zero budget. Not intentionally. For the tracks where I wanted drums, I went into the rehearsal room with drummer friends, wanting to get it done in a few hours. I was torn between a strong sense of urgency and my habit of always overdubbing one guitar too many. Knowing it would either be that or nothing.

Now it seems like the Debris Hill project has turned into a fully-fledged band. Can you tell us about the other members?

Sure. At the moment the only permanent member is Ettore Dara on drums, already a member of Wired Sophia. An incredible drummer, who knows the songs better than I do. He played on "Inertia" on the record. More members might join in the future, but we still need to properly rehearse.

Do you expect your music – the music that already exists and the music that will exist – to change, and how?

I have no idea, and I'm not sure I want to know. Every conscious musical decision I've made has usually turned out to be a huge mistake, well executed. I'd rather not think about it. Although the other day I did add a demo video of an '86 Synthaxe to my favorites.

The record also includes a few tracks in the style of Mark Kozelek. Can I ask what you think of the persona he's built for himself lately, including through his music?

I get the impression that lately, as the lyrics have grown more explicit, empathetic, and intimate, his level of public arrogance has grown right along with it. Maybe the two things are connected. Maybe not. Or maybe he's just trying to be ironic and not quite pulling it off. The spat with The War on Drugs was clearly a joke. But as for the other things he says, there's really not much to laugh about.

His new audience also speaks to the return of certain sounds to the scene; this, for instance, is the year of the slacker girls (Courtney Barnett, Frances Quinlan, Italy's own Adele Nigro), all young or very young, who certainly didn't experience the Nineties as teenagers or post-teenagers. Which wave do you identify with, and what do you make of this renewed attention? Is it just a passing trend mixed in with the background noise of something that never stopped existing?

Maybe it's less a return of attention than a continuation of a conversation that was left open. There was apparently more to say. This wave of young or very young people has picked up on it, and that conversation resonates deeply with them and with the way they feel and experience music. With some beautiful results, I'd say. As for me, I think I belong to that confused category stuck in the middle, partly minding its own business and partly wishing it were ten years younger or older.

The record is digital-only, is there any hope for a physical edition?

There's a lot of hope for a physical edition. 

Lately I've been listening to quite a few good records by Italian artists who could really make a name for themselves abroad. From your point of view, what's the obstacle (even a practical one) standing in the way?

Aside from the obvious economic and logistical reasons, I don't think there's much interest from abroad in what's being made in Italy right now. And rightly so, in a way. A record often only qualifies as "quality" by certain Italian standards. There are plenty of exceptions, some truly great records, but I don't think there's much expectation placed on us, and as a result, not much attention.

At the moment not much is known about Debris Hill's upcoming activities. Are you planning any dates in Italy? Would you feel comfortable playing solo on stage as well?

We're trying to put something together for autumn/winter, if all goes well. Playing solo on stage isn't a problem, the problem is when you get off stage and there's no one to yell at for messing up the intro, or to keep you awake at the wheel by snoring in the passenger seat.

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