A Reaction Paper on Salt, the second single from the upcoming debut full length from I LIKE ALLIE is an homage to the song “Salt” by Good Riddance and a powerful, heartfelt track “about how when writing these days we often prefer to avoid real situations and real feelings for fear of criticism.” Today, we’re honored to give you its first hearing above, along with a special commentary from singer and guitarist Renato and drummer Giovanni, who sat down with us to discuss this powerful single and share loads of interesting inspirations beghind I LIKE ALLIE’s new album!
“Rare Instances of Independent Thinking” comes out on October 8th, 2021 via Paper+Plastick (U.S.), Engineer Records (U.K.), No Reason Records (Europe) and General Soreness Records (Europe), and is available for pre-order HERE. The new single “A Reaction Paper on Salt” hits all digital platforms tomorrow, September 3.
“I feel that writing should be spontaneous without having in mind future judgment.” – comments Renato. “If you feel that something is too on the nose or cheesy, it shouldn’t matter.”
πβππ‘ πππ‘π‘πππ ππ π‘βππ‘ ππ‘’π βππππ π‘ πππ π‘βππ‘ π¦ππ’ πππ πππ‘ βππππππ ππππ π€βππ‘ π¦ππ’ ππππππ¦ π€πππ‘ π‘π π ππ¦. ππ‘βπππ€ππ π, π¦ππ’ πππ ππππ π‘βπ π πππ ππ πππ π πππ ππ‘π πππππ.
“But in this era of constant interactions and opinions on social media, it’s a lazy but less risky choice to opt for something bland.” – continues Renato.
“I found myself thinking that this can be avoided by taking a step back and getting into the right perspective. Remembering old conversations with friends or when you fell in love with a song for the first time. Moments that hit hard and are only yours.”
“I love the song Salt by Good Riddance. It’s a heartfelt anthem against violence and aggression at shows. I had this song in mind a lot when writing this “reaction paper.” I tried to channel the mood of Salt and the honesty of the lyrics into our song. The two songs are very different, but I feel they both have the same positive and hopeful energy.”
Musically, Renato admits that the track is super fun to play, because it’s very dynamic. “Quiet and folksy in certain moments, but also loud and energetic in others.”
Asked about the cover art for the single, he says that actually he did not have a lot of ideas, but when trying to decide what to do he recalled the pictures from their US tour, taken by the band’s drummer Giovanni. “So, I asked if he had something that we could use, and we ended up using a very cool picture of a gas station sign in Santee, South Carolina, taken on our way down to Florida to play the Fest back in 2017.”
The frame and layout were designed by the band’s guitarist Luca, who gave the frame a sort of “lived-in” look that fits well with the picture.
“I had taken some pictures back in 2017 in the US with my analog camera using an Ilford Delta 400 black and white 35mm roll.” – says Giovanni . “But the roll broke inside the camera, and I never got it fixed until now. 4 years later. I got the photos developed in Istanbul while travelling through Turkey and they came out with a vintage looking grain that give them a very cool vibe.”
“A Reaction Paper on Salt” Lyrics:
It takes a friend to die to feel something these days. Strong emotions are gone in this new digital age. Afraid of what is real, afraid of tasting skin, weβre always second guessing the moments that weβre in.
Iβll take the number 9 to the Roman Door. Iβll hang out in the back and lend you my earphones. And weβll discover songs thatβll change our lives forever. You might not see it now, but we did get better. Iβll take the number 9 back home. Of what we think we wonβt tell a soul.
I miss the people that stay to the end of the conversations and fight the urge to drift away, that sit through movies where nothing really happens but take in the beauty of the charactersβ traits.
And I guess Iβll never figure it out but Iβm fine with that now.
I see you every time you choke ’cause I know youβre the GOAT.
I Like Allie started out initially as Renatoβs acoustic project becoming in 2014, with the arrival of Giovanni (drums), Francesco (bass) and Luca (lead guitar), a full band.
Since then, the band released the EP, “The Wounds You Leave”, with Paper+Plastick as well as a self-titled collection of all their released output on cassette via UK label Real Ghost Records. I Like Allie has played many shows, including a US East Coast tour down to The Fest, Hamburgβs Booze Cruise Festival and Bergamoβs Punk Rock Raduno.
The bandβs sound is melodic punk rock, some might also say emo, but with a very personal style deriving from the bandβs different musical tastes and the stories found in Renato’s lyrics that on this new release address issues such as peer pressure, social anxiety, and learning to let go of useless negativity. Musically, the record explores new avenues by trying to be more original and innovative while staying true to their original sound.
For Rare Instances of Independent Thinking, the band entered Mobsound Recording Studios in Milan at the end of 2019 with long-time engineer and friend Alessandro Caneva (Fine Before You Came, Fratelli Calafuria) but recording proceeded over the course of 2020 with a few interruptions due to the Covid-19 Global Pandemic.
The record was completed with mixing by Jeff Dean (Samiam, Braid) and mastering by Dan Coutant (The World Is a Beautiful Place, War on Women) and features guest vocals of singer-songwriter Laura Stevenson.
Asked about their plans for the nearest future, as the main priorities, the band lists live shows around Europe and hopefully in the US once the record comes out, and obviously continue writing new material.
Since “A Reaction Paper on Salt” is an homage to the song “Salt”, I LIKE ALLIE thought it would be cool to prepare a playlist that spotlights the songs and bands that influenced them when writing “A Reaction Paper on Salt” and, in general, their new record, “Rare Instances of Independent Thinking”.
“Unlike with our new record, we suggest hitting the shuffle button which makes it for a more fun “mixtape” hearing experience.” – comments Renato. “We will continue to update it as more songs come to mind.”
