Rome melodic hardcore stalwarts Feldspar premiere their shimmering new single “18 Karat”.
“18 Karat” is a high-energy song that plays on the stereotypes of success, the fleeting pursuit of it, and the deviations tied to the quest for visibility and personal approval, sought ten, a hundred times a day. Essentially, it’s about designing one’s life as a fairy tale and presenting it in the public arena to gauge how much social approval we receive.
The song doesn’t lack irony, as highlighted by frontman Riccardo Zamurri:
“We want to criticise those who resort to endless filters, both metaphorically and literally, the filters of social platforms that force unattainable standards, fanciful realities, and success. How much human misery is there in all this? But at the same time, how much unintentional comedy does it produce?”
Musically, “18 Karat” is a modern tribute to a certain style of hardcore punk. It’s direct, catchy, communal, fast, and sharp, with a chorus that leaves no escape: “he’s a ticking time-bomb, tik-tok tik-tok”.
“Old City New Ruins” is due out on September 30th 2024 via Time To Kill Records.
“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.
Production note: 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.
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1. What Makes Us Stay? 2. Cobblestones 3. Dead Friends Still Alive 4. 18 Karat 5. Your Resistance Is Not Only Futile But Also Pathetic 6. The Jester’s Revolt 7. Scalp Is An Ashtray 8. All Quiet (Huff And Puff) 9. Beach Bums Of Santa 10. God Is Fired 11. Old City New Ruins |
