The Backlash – AS Real… (2024)
For about ten years, indie-rock band The Backlash has entertained audiences with their confident, enthusiastic and entrancing appeal. Oh, the sexy Italian winks and big smiles can win hearts, but it is the music that ensnares senses and steals souls. Establishing themselves as lead figures in the Milan underground music scene early on, The Backlash gained notoriety as powerful performers; however, attention by DJ Henry (aka Enrico Lezzari) in the mid-2010s broadened their reach, audience and presence on an international scale. Along with support for artists like The Academic and We Are Scientists, the lads released a well-received debut album Mindtrap in 2018, a self-produced EP Passing By in 2020, and the most recent album Rise in 2023.
2023 was a big year for The Backlash with the release of the critically acclaimed full-length album Rise, the extensive Rise European tour, and a change in the line-up. Joined by Corrado Carnevali (bass) and Giuseppe Musto (drums), founding members Francesco Luca (vocals and guitar) and Alessio Gatto (vocals and guitar), The Backlash begin 2024 with the single, ‘As Real…’
Following the well-received album Rise, ‘As Real…’ keeps The Backlash’s distinctive touch of 80s shoegaze tipping people into a guitar-driven kaleidoscopic sonic fog; however, a raw directness exists pushing heavier leanings toward 90s Britpop. A hint of The Verve lingers in the background but with vintage Radiohead twirled in the mix. Fuzzy and psychedelic, The Backlash continues to topple listeners into a sonic fog. In this case, however, one is lost in a hurricane as guitars and drums flit past leaving you lost but content.
I find it quite amusing that the tune is titled ‘As Real…’ because the Richard Ashcroft-esque vocals are surreal fluttering in your brain with wistful whispers. Lyrically, ‘As Real…’ is about “all those things which arise deep emotions, joys and fears even though they have no physical existence…”. I find this intriguing as it highlights the oscillation between blissful contentment and barebones chaos.
In addition to the single, The Backlash released an official music video for ‘As Real…’. You can view the video below or on their YouTube channel. Please note that this video uses lighting effects that can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.
VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED
Find out more about The Backlash on their official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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