GIFT

In the old working-class heart of the San Lorenzo neighbourhood, at the ever-buzzing Wishlist Club, the Roman crowd packs the venue for the opening night of the Zen Arcade mini-festival, a tribute to the Hüsker Dü masterpiece. The evening opens with the experimental atmospheres of the Emilian duo Bono/Burattini, made up of vocalist Francesca Bono (Ofeliadorme) and Vittoria Burattini, drummer of Massimo Volume. Signed to Maple Death, Bono/Burattini range from folk to cosmic minimalism, presenting their new album “Ora Sono Un Lago”. Around 11pm come the young and promising Modena outfit Palea, a band that emerged from the “Carne Fresca – Suoni dal Futuro” project curated by Manuel Agnelli, moving between furious garage and acid grunge thanks to excellent guitarist Stefano Miozzo. Headlining the night are New York's GIFT, formed during the pandemic in Brooklyn around frontman TJ Freda, who went on to debut in 2022 with the album “Momentary Presence”, an intriguing mix of shoegaze and psychedelia. The set opens with a track lifted from their latest work, “Illuminator” (2024), “It's All Too Fast”, riding a hypnotic groove driven by jingle-jangle guitar. The following “Wish Me Away” is a captivating blend of War On Drugs and New Order, while “Later” veers toward more melodic shoegaze. Among the best performances of the night is undoubtedly the danceable aggression of “Pinkhouse Secret Rave”, opened by synth and ready to detonate over an excellent rhythm section and the sensual moves of singer Jessica Gurewitz. Even while drawing on sounds that are by now well established on the musical scene – especially the North American one – GIFT manage to bring a bold breath of freshness to the sound, confirming themselves among the best of the new generation of psych-rock.

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