Italian singer-songwriter MERLI ASMA releases new single ‘Capelli Argento’

Four years after his dazzling debut with Lleb, musician and singer-songwriter MERLI ARMISA is  ready to take us on a new journey through his deeply enigmatic sounds, returning to the scene with  a second album for Dischi Sotterranei. The first taste of this upcoming adventure is the single  Capelli Argento, officially out on March 26th. 

The song is a dreamy and nostalgic stream of consciousness where, in its more than five minutes of  length, the progression changes three times: it opens with a delicate synthesiser arpeggio that  recalls Four Tet’s music, then evolves into a psychedelic explosion with the entry of analogue  instruments, but just when it seems to have reached a distorted conclusion, a fade-out lets resurface  the ethereal vocals, heavily pitched and deconstructed. While the DIY and lo-fi attitude of the first  record remains intact, in this new work the musical palette is enriched by becoming more and more  layered, between loops and delays, creating a dense and enveloping atmosphere. For the first time,  the project includes piano and acoustic guitar, as well as drums played by Giacomo Ferrari (Generic  Animal, Asino). To achieve the highly particular sound textures, in the mix phase the artist was  helped by Fight Pausa, founder of 72-Hours Post Fight and close collaborator of other Dischi  Sotterranei projects like Post Nebbia and Visconti. The whole set will be presented live in full band  consisting of Marco Bello (guitar, synth, vocals), Andrea Ceddia (bass), Lorenzo Mazzotta (drums)  and Adalberto Valsecchi (sax).

The inspirations for this second album draw on the Asian shoegaze and ambient scene, recalling the  explorations of cult-following artists such as Parannoul, Asian Glow and Mid-Air Thief. Japanese  visual imagery has also left its mark, and sealing this influence is a sample from the anime Sonny  Boy by Shingo Natsume, which appears at the end of the song like a remote echo: «In Sonny Boy,  Yamabiko is a big black dog, and he reports that he also used to be a human being but, since he  had begun to believe more in others than in himself, he had turned out that way – he doesn't  remember why, especially since the whole thing had happened so long before. Since then the days  have been going on as usual, without many opportunities to be wise: who knows what it is like to  hold the things inside one's heart! “How long have you been here? 5000 years”».  

If you are looking for music that can transport you to distant and unexplored worlds, this new  chapter of Merli Armisa is an experience not to be missed. 

CREDITS 

Michele Boscacci: lyrics, composer, vocals, guitar, bass, synths. 

Giacomo Ferrari: drums and percussions. 

Beatrice Cervi: backing vocals. 

Andrea Maglia: recording engineer at Bleach Recording Studio. 

Carmelo Gerace: sound technician at Bleach Recording Studio. 

Isacco Bricalli: winds recording engineer. 

Carlo Luciano Porrini: additional production, mixing, bass. 

Matt Bordin: mastering.