Milan-based indie-rockers The Ghibertins return with the release of their anthemic new single 20149 – Milano, out now via Mob Sound Records.
The single is oozing with sonic twists and turns from the offset. Sweeping guitar twangs are met with pulsating drums beats and orchestral soundscapes in order to create a sound that is undeniably palpable. Frontman Alessio Hofmann’s distinctive vocal is at the forefront throughout, channeling the likes of Editor’s Tom Smith. Talking about the single, Alessio explains, “while the band was working on the album, I went on a solo trip to Guangzhou, China. After a couple of weeks, I began to develop a certain sense of alienation. One evening I wanted to find the feelings I needed to feel in order to write the track that represents the fall of the main character, so I took a piece of paper, a pen and rushed through the streets of Taojin. Drink and drink again! This was the goal. Why 20149 – Milano? The next day I found on my piece of paper, 20149 written obsessively over and over again. 20149; my home zip code.”
In this interview spotlight, I chat with The Ghibertins about the new music, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
It’s very hard to reply to this question as in all our album we always tried to develop different genres. Especially with the new forthcoming album we are going to experiment different music genres, from rock, to folk, electronic and gospel.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
Being an Italian band that sings in English is extremely hard. Being recognized abroad is a challenging it’s the real “driver” of our band.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
We really like to listen to bands that develop new sounds. Sound engineering is an extremely interesting part of musical production in 2021.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
We wanted to create a concept album. Our forthcoming album will develop the life of an everyday man. From his birth (intro) to his death (outro). The album will feature a song for every decade of life of the fictional character, developing different feelings.
What was the last song you listened to?
Seventeen by Sharon Van Etten
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
It depends. If we really have time to listen and think, Vinyl is absolutely the best option.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Spotify it’s surely more easy-to-use and in the and you always have to look at the bright side….you can always listen to a song of yours and get 0,0000001GBP back. It’s called capitalism!
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?
To understand what is real and what is not. There are plenty of services that promises you 1 Million listeners that morel likely will come from the same town located somewhere in Siberia. The biggest challenge in a market that judges you by the numbers is to stay relaxed and conquer your fanbase one “like” at the time.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
Surely Instagram. It’s the platform we use the most.
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
Sure! Stay connected to our socials. We have a lot of material to release and we’d love to have some feedbacks.
