GAZZELLE - Superbattito

Superbattito is an album I wrote in one go, over the course of a few months, a little over a year ago. It's about endless stories, distant lights. Tiny moments left somewhere at the bottom of the night. Loves kept safe so they wouldn't wither. It's a record that both strips me bare and covers me up a little. Like a blanket that's too short. Like when I hug my dog.

Not much is known about Gazzelle: he's from Rome, has a passion for 80s synths and ginger, as well as an endless string of ex-girlfriends. On "Superbattito", his debut album, you can hear a bit of Coez and a bit of Calcutta, but his style sets itself apart considerably from what the contemporary indie landscape has accustomed us to. Relaxed rhythms and a sing-song, almost bored voice define the songs on the record; the result is an irresistible, overwhelming sexy-pop that has given quite a jolt to the so-called Roman scene.

The eight tracks split into two types: the slow, sad and devastating ones, and the more upbeat, cheerful ones, where the influence of Leo Pari, the album's artistic supervisor, comes through loud and clear. The first category includes "Non sei tu", "Quella te", "NMRPM" and "Greta", while the second includes "Démodé", "Balena", "Meltinpot" and "Zucchero filato".

Gazzelle plays with words and intros: "Te lo ricordi lo zucchero filato?" is the phrase he repeats obsessively through the first minute of "Zucchero filato", as if trying at all costs to summon a memory, a moment, an emotion tied to something sweet yet at the same time insubstantial. "Démodé", on the other hand, is the most pop and upbeat track on the record: one to dance and sing along to with total carefree abandon, not least because it's free of the usual nostalgic nods to a relationship now over.

"Non sei tu" is nevertheless the song that best captures Gazzelle's style: aching and melancholic, built on a crescendo that grows ever more powerful, both musically and vocally, until it closes in an explosion of synths. "Quella te", the first single taken from the album, moves along the same lines, addressing love in its everyday form, made up of dirty hoodies, walks in the rain and trips that lead, as the Gazebo Penguins would put it, to "ricordar le cose meglio di com'erano davvero".

The Gazzelle phenomenon took off spontaneously with the release of his first videos online, helped along by the mystery that initially surrounded his persona. "Superbattito" is a record to listen to in one sitting; musically, it all rests on synths, accompanied by the occasional piano note, drums that are mostly just background, and pop guitars. It alternates, never predictably, the carefree lightness of brisk, catchy tracks with the melancholy of songs that drag you into a pit it's hard to climb back out of, and that is its strength.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

29/04/2017