TOP Italy: April 2018

In little over a year, Italian band Handlogic have morphed from a mere idea, shared by three young Florentines, to a fully fledged group on the cusp of genuine success. Their journey has been short in time but long in scope; as a trio, they started re-working material left over from Lorenzo Pellegrini’s previous project and writing new songs, everything arranged digitally, working strictly with a computer. Their debut EP was soon committed to tape, but it was the additions of a new live rhythm section – Daniele and Alessandro Cianferoni – that really saw the band take flight and start turning heads.

Much like their songs, the trajectory of Rome’s Big Mountain County has been one of slow-burn evolution. Formed in 2012 from the ashes of much-loved underground band The Boilers, what started out as a trio has morphed into a quartet, building a loyal, cult following and developing a power and grace that’s all too rare in the psych-rock scene. From their first self-produced 7” singles in 2013 through extensive touring and their debut proper, the imposing Breaking Sound, they’ve been honing, tweaking, and growing, and now stand on the cusp of genuine crossover success.

They debuted this year for renowned Rocket Recordings (yes, the same British independent label which signed Goat), but Julie’s Haircut has a long, glorious history behind them, with ten years of international regard and constant touring across Europe. Julie’s Haircut are also one of the first Italian bands to look beyond their own borders, in stylistic choices and ambitions, certainly not only for choosing the English language for their songs. From 1999, the year of their first full length, the band evolved from garage rock to a more sophisticated and articulated level, fortunately, difficult to classify as open to various possibilities.

Fast Animals And Slow Kids, often simply abbreviated in FASK, are four Italian “kids” who met at high school in Perugia. Aimone Romizi, Alessandro Guercini, Alessio Mingoli and Jacopo Gigliotti started to play individually in ...

Bruno Belissimo is an intentionally mispelled moniker that plays on the Italian adjective “bellissimo” (translation: “very beautiful”). Not by chance, this playful DJ, producer and multi-instrumentalist has Italian-Canadian origins. Born to Italian parents and ...

The tale of His Clancyness coincides with Jonathan Clancy’s own story. Born in Canada, Jonathan was part of Settlefish from 2001 to 2008. In 2011 he released Call It Blazing, the first record of his new alt-rock band A Classic Education, inspired by ...