Rome hardcore band FELDSPAR will release their debut album “Old City New Ruins” on September 30th 2024 via Time To Kill Records. Decibel Magazine is hosting the premiere of the record’s first single, “Cobblestones“, and you can stream it right here, as well.
“Old City, New Ruins” takes its title from Rome, the city where the band is based. It depicts the contemporary ruins of the capital, yet it’s merely a pretext to expose the complexities of everyday life common to Western societies and their major cities, foremost among them.
The album unfolds episode by episode, driven by the need to express anger and frustration, but also the antidotes to them. Social references abound, as well as intimate reflections and even profound investigations into the psychoses of the marginalized and abandoned.
It tells the story of collective strength, musically expressed through a choral quality that runs deep in the band.
“Old City, New Ruins” is a unique hardcore album, inspired both by emerging currents of the genre – such as Comeback Kid, Turnstile, Trapped Under Ice – and by the European and Northern European heavy tradition – like Kvelertak, Turbonegro – to the pantheon of influences of FELDSPAR: Nirvana, Motorhead, Gorilla Biscuits, Slayer and everything in between.
The album consists of ten songs, with bellicose episodes alternating with cathartic moments, explosions of energy accompanied by timeless slogans, songs for celebration and songs for war, moments for reflection, and others for denunciation.
All of this alternates within the ten tracks preceding the instrumental that gives the album its title, also the final track of the record, a sort of Carpenteresque ballad that serves as the soundtrack to visualize the marvelous and creepy ruins FELDSPAR speaks of.
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For the album, FELDSPAR worked alongside Nick Terry, a legendary figure in the English music scene, known for his productions with Ian Brown/Stone Roses, The Libertines, Turbonegro, Simian Mobile Disco, Kvelertak, Peaches, and more. His involvement adds international depth to the project.
The artwork was entrusted to Chris Wilson, an American illustrator renowned for his work on covers for bands like MindForce, Scowl, Combust, and Gel, essentially the cream of the crop of contemporary American hardcore.
In the eternal city of Rome, where the whispers of cryptic ecclesiastical hierarchies still linger, FELDSPAR emerges as a musical enigma, delving into the shadows to unravel, with a certain dose of irony and creativity, the clandestine threads of power. Named after a mineral purportedly worn by a covert Roman clergy, this entity consists of six eclectic souls working tirelessly to expose the elusive puppeteers who have shaped the lives of millions of people since the beginning of time.
Formed in late 2023 and based just a stone’s throw from the Vatican, the Godless folk two blocks from the Pope, FELDSPAR’s journey begins with the legendary Andrew Mecoli, founder of the iconic Growing Concern, Mecoli’s guitar riffs echo the peculiar spirit of Italian hardcore. Joining him is Stefano Casanica, a prolific songwriter and producer, whose musical odyssey spans decades with undertakings in Undertakers, Craiving, Crude, and collaborations that transcend genres. Casanica’s production magic is immortalized in Noyz Narcos cult classic ‘Non dormire’, a cornerstone of Italian hardcore rap with millions of streamings so far.
Enter Riccardo Zamurri, the charismatic frontman and creative force behind FELDSPAR’s visual and thematic universe. With an imaginative prowess that spawns countless artistic collaborations worldwide, Zamurri shapes the band’s narratives and lyrical landscapes.
Anna Pasolini, the rising star, brings her sharp vocals and musical sensibility honed in London, where her mother, the Academy Award-winning composer Rachel Portman, imparted the musical craft. Pasolini’s environmental commitment as a dedicated scientist adds another layer to the band’s multifaceted identity.
Completing the lineup are the rhythmic anchors, Manlio Massimetti on bass and Luca Micheli on drums. Seasoned musicians with unwavering rhythmic certainties, contribute to FELDSPAR’s hardcore attitude and the myriad compositions that spring forth from their creative well.
Their lyrics traverse contemporary themes, often rooted in critiquing the mass commercial drift of Western spirituality, emanating from the heart of Rome. The band delves into the psychoses of the individual, often transcending into imaginative realms, and champions mental health and adaptability to reality.
Environmental concerns, felt as urgent civic duties, find a prominent place in FELDSPAR’s lyrical arsenal. Finally, the band pays homage to the communities to which it belongs, considering itself an expanded collective with friends and nonconformist artists at its core. Collaborations with figures such as Nick Terry, the London producer known for his work with countless Rock icons (The Libertines, Turbonegro, Kvelertak, The Stone Roses, Simian Mobile Disco) who produced the band’s debut album. Chris Wilson, a Tattoo artist and illustrator for Combust, Scowl, and many other American hardcore bands; Guido Gazzilli’s courageous photography, Marcello ‘Rise Above’ Crescenzi’s mastery of Roman art, and his exquisite illustrations further enrich the tapestry of the band’s creative journey and underscore FELDSPAR’s commitment to a diverse and vibrant artistic community.
Over time, Luca “Solo Macello”, an exceptionally skilled illustrator and collaborator with bands worldwide, joined in. His cover for Salmo’s latest album, which remained at the top of the charts in Italy for weeks, has become one of the most important artworks in recent discographic history. Lastly, Nicolas Romero, an Argentine painter with FELDSPAR, is exploring uncharted visual universes.
