Interview by SERENA LOTTI
The May 1sthas just passed but there couldn't have been a more right date for the return of ALERT! young Tuscan band returning to the scene with a new single that claims to be An intense look at the world of work and its contradictions.
There was a time when punk in Italy was not just a question of self-management and bpm, but the megaphone of the working class, a short circuit of ideologists, counterculture and resilience. The very young ALERT! they look to the past while being well rooted in the present and recover that attitude, filter it, change its shape, color and consistency and drop it straight into 2026, adapting it to the drifts of today's discomfort. Without citationism, without historical pastism. Through a political punk that smells of factory and protest, the Tuscan quintet releases on May 1st “STACHANOV”a song that recalls the conceptual dilemmas of CCCPthe hardcore push of the Denial and the bitter irony of Offlaga Disco Pax. Outside the logic of current trends, theirs is visceral and social punk. A direct criticism of the new precariousness and alienating rhythms of a labor market crushed by profit alone.
The band is formed in 2022 within the Jam Academy in Tuscany. After a year of testing spent writing and defining their punk identity, the band debuts in the summer of 2024 with their first song on Spotify, “Even if I die”the appetizer of a first EP of the same name which received excellent critical acclaim in December of the same year. 2025 is the year of the turning point and entry into the majors: below Epic RecordsALERTS! they launch the sprint towards the new album with the singles that are a reflection of our time “Health insurance” And “Grandpa with smartphone”.
The last job STACHANOV is a single that is at the same time a denunciation, a punk outburst and a lucid analysis of the contradictions of the contemporary job market. Far from celebratory rhetoric, the ALERT! they give us a bitter and real portrait of a society dominated by extreme rhythms and profit.
«STACHANOV is a raw song that denounces the hypocrisy of work and society, between personal anger and criticism of the system – says the band – A manifesto of disillusionment and resistance, where internal conflict becomes a symbol of the search for authenticity in a world dominated by profit.”
I had a chat with the kids and asked them to tell me about the genesis of this new manifesto of disillusionment and resistance. Here's what they told me.
Hi guys, welcome to RockON. You have chosen May 1st for the release of STACHANOV which addresses the hypocrisy of work. To make a necessary quote…Giovanni Lindo Ferretti sang “Produce, consume, die”: thirty years later, has the situation gotten worse or has the form of alienation only changed?
We believe that the situation has worsened, and we also told it in a song from our first EP, Produce Waste Die(PSM). The title sums up the change we see well, the act of consuming has turned into continuous waste. Just look at how much the fast fashion and disposable market is pushed, often to the detriment of reuse, or even to phenomena such as planned obsolescence, which further fuel this mechanism.
Even on the work front it seems clear to us that something is not right. A salary of 1,500 euros together with rhythms and conditions that are often presented as freedom actually risks being just a form of social containment, they make you believe you are free, while you are often trapped in a system that absorbs time, energy and possibilities. For us, work, too often, takes on the contours of a new form of slavery.
We would like to say that it is not about refusing work. Before anyone says that “young people don't want to work”it should be noted that we all have real jobs in addition to music. We experience this reality firsthand, and this is precisely why we feel the urgency to tell it.
HEALTH INSURANCE and STACHANOV address very direct social issues. Is this a question of responsibility as a punk band? Do you want to be a voice of dissent and protest in a musical panorama that is often disengaged on these issues?
We are convinced that every artist tells their own reality, in the way they know best. Ours is not worth more than that of others, it is simply ours, and it is the only thing we can tell without lying.
We don't make music to pose as prophets or saviors, but to give voice to what passes through us, what makes us feel good, what destroys us, the contradictions that we see every day and which are often ignored. We put everything there, without filters, without masks.
If this gets to people, great. If it doesn't arrive, we will still continue to do it in the exact same way, because it's not a strategy and it's not a character, it's who we are. Sincerity, even when it's uncomfortable. Even when it's not convenient.
In England, bands like Sleaford Mods or Bob Vylan use minimalism and sonic ferocity to talk about the precariousness and contradictions of the system, the Viagra Boys use sarcasm to dismantle machismo and the theme of success, and in general more mainstream bands like Idles, Fontaines DC or Shame have brought the post-punk genre back to the center of the debate, letting it speak about the cracks in contemporary society. Have any foreign bands inspired you to find the courage to be so direct and political?
Our influences are multiple and stem from different paths. We have followed the evolution of contemporary post-punk bands like Shame, Fontaines DC., Black Midi and always rarely mentioned Squidgroups that have always maintained a marked political imprint in their lyrics and sound research. At the same time, we follow many openly aligned realities that have pushed us to be direct, honest and without filters.
Among these are the Gelunfortunately no longer active, i Title Fight by Kingston, Pennsylvaniaand of course i Rage Against the Machinewho represented a fundamental presence for all of us, especially during adolescence. Even i Metz and most of the projects of Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi, Embrace) have had a huge impact on our way of understanding music.
An essential chapter is then The Clash, with London Calling they taught us that punk is not just a question of speed or distorted guitars, but, first, above all in the head. Songs like Lost in the Supermarket they have clearly shown us where certain mechanisms of our time hide. Likewise, i Dead Kennedys with Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables hey Blitzespecially with Second Empire Justicehave represented for us real social manifestos, capable of giving voice to the subcultures and the discomfort of an entire generation.
From there, the transition towards crust and d-beat was natural, Discharge, Wolfbrigade, Anti Cimex, Tragedy and many other bands have sent us that more extreme, visceral and radical dimension of sonic protest.
Tuscany has an important history of alternative music and counterculture. How much influence have your origins and training listening had on shaping an identity that doesn't want to be just “noise”, but a structured message?
Tuscany, on a musical level, has always had a very strong identity, and for us it was a fundamental component in building our path.
We listened to so many bands like Neon, Diaphragm, Fashion oh Litfiba Of Disappeared which together with many other groups (and also thanks to theIra records), made the first steps of the Florentine new wave/post punk take place. Obviously Siberia of the Diaphragm has been a mainstay in our ratings as well as the least mentioned three times tears and boxing There have also been groups like Baustelle (Siena), which we listened to in our adolescence between a nihilistic piece by Pissblood and a “Black Saturday” of the Carlos dungaor the very forgotten Cleaver (Arezzo), who with their EP “Memories of a summer“they accompanied us with a carefree punk rock that now makes us smile when we find ourselves at the seaside of Torre Annunziata. In short, we can say it: yes, Tuscany has certainly given us a hand in finding our musical identity and by putting together all our listening we have managed to create a sound that is certainly more structured and that doesn't want to be just noise.
Joining a major label is often seen by purists as a contradiction for those who make protest punk. How do you respond to those who think that punk should remain confined to the underground to be authentic? Is it possible to wage “cultural guerrilla warfare” from within the system?
There is this belief that signing automatically means selling yourself, but in our case this is not the case. Nobody changed us, because the reason why someone decided to invest in us is exactly what we already were.
And then there is another fundamental point: we all work: limited hours, responsibilities and holidays. And those holidays, instead of spending them on holiday, we often use them to go on tour, or to go to record in Milan, because for us that too is work, it's sacrifice, it's effort, it's choice. It's not a game.
So the point is: who, realistically, would say no to someone willing to invest financially in a project they believe in, without distorting it, without changing it one iota, but rather helping you to lighten costs, pressures and difficulties? Who would turn down an opportunity that can allow you to continue doing what you love with more options and less weight on your shoulders?
Many criticisms, honestly, seem to come more from preconceptions or frustration than from a real understanding of things. Because it is easy to talk from the outside, much less to actually experience certain dynamics. We are kids who work, are committed, sacrifice time, money and freedom to carry out a project in which they believe. And honestly, before criticizing, you should at least have respect for this.
Who would you do a feat with and why?
We take the liberty of naming three names, Bull Brigade, Discomonstro And Bluvertigo.
There are also many other artists we would love to collaborate with, but these three represent something special for us. They are projects that we follow with almost obsessive attention, because in their artistic journey we find something that really strikes us deeply, both musically and humanly.
Each of them, in a different way, has left an important mark on our imaginationfor attitude, sensitivity, identity and ability to convey something authentic. Beyond the music, what we also deeply appreciate is the fact that we perceive them as real, genuine people, with a rare coherence.
For this reason, more than just featuring, these collaborations would represent an enormous satisfaction for us, almost the realization of a desire built over time through esteem, listening and respect.
Do you recommend 3 discs to Rockon readers? (3+3+1)
Franco Battiato – Patriots (1980)
Gianluca Grignani – The plastic factory (1996)
The Theater of Horrors – Of the empire of darkness (2007)
Disfear – Live the Storm (2008)
Boiling Lagoon – Riviera of Rivieras (EP, 2022) / Fantasy Outlet (2025)
bloody/bath – In an Empty Space, I'm Screaming (2024)
ROPE. – For All the Marbles (2026)
Follow ALERT! on Instagram
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
