It wasn't easy to create a new imaginary as interesting as the media one Landscape Channel or the religious one of Entropy Padrepiobut i Post Fog they did it again. With Black Track the Padua quartet branded Underground Discs demonstrates a maturity that is both textual and sonic, giving life to an excellent fourth stage on the long run that turns the sound towards new solutions that wink more at punk than at psych-pop.
The steepest slope of all is exploited by the frontman Carlo Corbellini as a metaphor for a world that is collapsing in on itself, eroded by the greed of the powerful and the looming effects of climate change. There is almost no hope for the future, even if the ruling class does everything it can to make people believe that the status quo is exactly how things should be. The planet is made of pastry, just like in the Simpsons episode recalled in the song of the same name, crumbled by decades of unbridled anthropocentrism.
We spoke directly with Carlo on the phone about these issues a few days after the release of Black Track and from their live return to the CSO Pedro in Padua. It is precisely there that, inevitably, our discussion starts, from the Dischi Sotterranei party, a three-day event in which the independent label gathers its roster and strengthens its community. If already last year i Post Fog they had given a taste of the sound of the album in progress, this year their set at midnight is entirely reserved for the live preview debut of some extracts from the album.
The band's frontman can't contain his emotion at returning to play live after all this time (the tour of Entropy Padrepio closed more than a year and a half ago), especially in a location, like that one, where the public is always very attentive and proactive. Precisely for this reason he also tells me that he insisted with the other members of the band to perform only unreleased songs, rather than dusting off warhorses such as Telesales of paintings.
But how did they arrive at this mountain imagery, after the dreamlike interlude of the previous album? The seed of the project can be found in the long period spent on tour, in which the formation refined the chemistry between the four members. From there came the idea of giving life to a new recording chapter in which theinterplay between the various components, rather than submitting the material once it has already been sketched out in the home studio.
The concept was suggested by a series of sessions in mountainous places, in which the idea of the black slope emerged as a metaphor for a society that is in free fall towards decadence. Just like the ski lifts, once covered in white snow, but now only surrounded by depressing, yellowish barren earth.
The concept was also inspired by reading the Galaxy Trilogy by Isaac Asimovfamous science fiction novels that talk about the collapse of an intergalactic empire and the period of chaos and decadence that follows. There is, however, also another extra-musical influence that catalyzed the pessimistic reflections of Corbellini's pen: the films of the BBC documentarian Adam Curtis. He tells me how much he was shaken and changed by two of his works, HyperNormalisation (2016) e Trauma Zones (2022).
The latter in particular, in fact, particularly echoes the themes of the album: the TV series, in fact, talks about the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the historical passages that led to the current oligarchy in power. Although it was quite clear that the Soviet empire was collapsing on its foundations, politicians pretended that nothing was happening. Just like those who, every year, go to the ski slopes ignoring the inevitable consequences of global warming and taking refuge in an idealized memory of the well-being experienced in a now distant past.
Exploring the sonic influences of the LP, decidedly more direct, faster and distorted than the previous ones, Carlo mentions Ty Segall they Oh Seesas well as the Arctic Monkeys before the breakthrough of the last two albums. These are not new listenings gained in these two years, but influences that have accompanied him since adolescence, even if, until now, he struggled to incorporate them into his music. Speaking of inspirations he also reveals to me that the cutting solo of Taxman of the Beatles is his all-time favorite, comparing it to a restless five-year-old bursting into song with all his energy. Curiously, Carlo considers Black Track like his most bossanova album: rightly so, given the use of particular chords, rhythmic patterns or the incursion of the acoustic six strings into I Don't Know.
Even guitar-wise, the idea is to experiment towards new shores, leaving the dreamlike qualities of his music in the background. playing in favor of more incisive and distorted solutions. He reveals to me that the (expensive) pedal Space Bender by Death By Audio was a true cornerstone of the new sound, being used with its indomitable reverb tails and acidic qualities even on synthesizers. Jokingly, he tells me how, although the structures of the songs have become more essential and designed for live performance, he ended up using complicated combinations of pedals for each song.
As regards the creative process, as mentioned before, the other members of the group were more involved in the writing phase, ensuring that everyone could make their own contribution. The structures of different songs such as Ingot and the instrumental intro Leonardoin fact, come from jam sessions in which they experimented organically. The idea was not to compose parts that were then unnatural to play, as can unfortunately happen when writing grooves on the computer with MIDI, but all sections that could be easily replicated live. The lyrics, however, were born at the same time as the songs, albeit at different speeds: some were completed within a few days, while others torment the frontman with some phrases until the final draft was completed.
Turning for a moment from the last long-distance effort, I am very curious to know if the formation has ever thought of creating a soundtrack. It wouldn't be strange at all, given that i Post Fog they take great care of the visual side of the project, and that the roster companion Coca Puma debuted in the world of the seventh art a few months ago with the soundtrack of Almost Home Of Carolina Pavone. Carlo states that he would like it very much and that, in recent days, he was experimenting with writing in images with synthesizers, inspired by the famous album Plantasia or using 8-bit sounds. Maybe.
Just before ending the interview we go back to talking about the “family” of Underground Discsthe label that has seen the lineup grow since the beginning. The mind behind the Post Fog is convincingly aligned against the idea of the enlightened musician capable of managing all phases of the creative process, believing instead in a community approach in which one is surrounded by trusted people. It is best to respond to the individualism of modern times by uniting in new communities, both musical and otherwise.
Looking to the near future, the calendar of Post Fog it's thicker than ever. From January the band will begin a tour of the main Italian live clubs and, during the week of the month, will take part in Eurosonic, the most important European showcase festival. Carlo is very excited, he can't wait to play and tells me that they could also announce concerts abroad.
If the black slope described in the album leads irremediably towards the abyss and political-ecological collapse, next year could be much less steep for the Post Fogready to prove to everyone, once again, that they are one of the most interesting Italian groups of the moment.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
