A little over a year since the release of their amazing split with RESTE (Zegema Beach Records), screamo act CHIVÀLA are back to our pages with an early listen of their new EP simply dubbed “II”! “It’s is maybe the most emotional work we have made.” – says the band, and they couldn’t be more right. The new offering finds the band returning on the heartrending side of one of life’s bleaker rites of passage, the harsh, but rebirthing experience of loss, older, wiser and creatively thriving. Wow, this is beyond any doubt of the greatest emotional post hardcore / screamo records of recent years!
“It’s a light after darkness, a hope to overcome hopelessness, a flower born into nothing.
It’s an attempt to turn the pain into something rational, something to manipulate and transform.
It’s the story of a loss of someone dearly loved. A very special human being with whom we shared a part of our lives.”
Continued below…
“II” EP is out Jul 23rd via Boslevan Records, Clever Eagle Records, Les disques Rabat-joie, PIKE Records, Smelly CAT Records, SHOVE records, zilpzalp records, Yoyodynerecords, Protein Bar Records.
Stream the full EP below:
“This was a very sad event that happened after a year hard for everyone: global pandemic, difficult communications between us and the redefinition of the purposes of our lives.” – continues the band.
“We hope that the inner strenght and the message of this four songs can help all those who are facing hard times to find peace.”
Track by track commentary:
“Lavoisier” is named after the French chemist Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier, who stated the first law of conservation of matter: in a chemical reaction, nothing is created, nothing is destroyed but everything is transformed.
Death is only a physycal phenomenon: the ones who have left become forever a part of us. They live in our memory, in the marks they have left in our lives, in the empty space they were once a part of. “Per ogni istante vissuto o immaginato”, “for every moment we have lived or imagined”.
“Irreversibile” is the acceptance of death, as a matter of fact. We are left with nothing else then regret and a feeling of emptiness. Everything ends. Period. “Mi perderò come cenere al vento”, “I will be lost as ash in the wind”.
“Squilibrio” is the natural psychological reaction to pain. Time goes on, every day is the same (sometimes routines deprive us of any trace of humanity). Yet pain makes you feel alive. Sometimes pain can be fuel to take your life back in your hands and to try your best to become a better version of yourself. “Mi riprendo me stesso pezzo per pezzo”, “I’m taking back myself piece by piece”.
“Primula“. It is often told that the primrose is the first flower to bloom in spring, when the whether isn’t so warm yet. The memory of our friend is like a primrose: it blooms in the coldness of loss. We can still meet sometimes, in places we have never been together before. “Sei fiore che nasce e mai più muore”, “you are a flower which is born and will never die”.
Asked about the (post) pandemic state of their local music community and bands worth our attention, the band says that that they feel that after last year’s curfews and limitatons a lot of bands are bursting with energy and are looking forward to perform all around.
“This forced break was, according to us, a very much needed moment of self reflection, since we had the opportunity to focus on the new release. And many bands have done the same as well.
Apnea (Sludge/Post Metal from Bari) released their EP “Stasi” few months ago: dark and heavy athmospheres, with some beautiful and meaningful lyrics.
Bambino Peloso, a dear friend from Bari, who started this solo project.
Comrad (Punk Rock from Bari, Rome and Manchester) shared with all of us their EP “Restiamo vicini”, a passionate and very positive-minded five songs record.
Duocane (Noise from Bari), a very powerful duo. Their EP “Sudditi” is worth a listen.
Our best buddies from Radura released their LP “Effetto della veduta d’insieme” in April (definitely worth your money!), to which we gave a little contribution. It is a melodic, passionate screamo record: powerful dreamy choruses, spoken words and screams as echoes of another life.
Strebla (Post Hardcore/Noise from Bari) released their LP “Cemento”, filled with anger, a punch straight into the face.
Music has allowed us to create strong bonds with people across the world: in June Jamie, from Lytic and Louisette, took a flight from New York and came to Bari to visit us. It was a nice surprise and made us think about how the screamo scene is a big family without any kind of boundaries. Travelling around, sharing spaces, experiences and beautiful moments is certainly a thing we miss a lot. We hope to start playing live again soon.
