It’s an irritating side to this reviewing malarkey that you sometimes miss little treasures along the way, and certainly the album release by one of my beloved Italian bands, the dark and gothic Varanasi, fell victim to this overload during the Christmas hiatus. At the end of the year they released their album ‘Cattedrali per principianti’ (‘Cathedrals for beginners’), which contained at least one track I had reviewed in the past (‘Rosemary’s Baby’) and now they have unveiled a video for the track ‘L’odore della notte’, whichvwe are honoured to premiere today
Formerly called Japan Suicide, the band made a decision to change their name and to sing in their native Italian, adding a distinctive element to their sound.
The track itself is is dark and brooding piece of post punk shoegaze with its splashing guitars, ambulant wandering bass and expressive vocals coasting along the surface. As ever, Varanasi create an enigmatic world of vast open spaces with dark thunderous clouds, recalling elements of bands like Interpol or The Editors but with their own unique approach.
The video, created by by Valtti Visuals, is a beautifully shot piece following separately a young couple wandering enigmatically across pastoral scenes in the twilight:
‘l’Odore della Notte’ is out now and available to download and stream via all the usual sources. In the meantime, take a listen to the brilliant ‘Cattedrali per principianti’ which you can download and stream through the link below and here. It was recorded, mixed and mastered by Maurizio
Baggio at La Distilleria – musical productions of Bassano del Grappa, was released on December
1st 2023 and published in collaboration with I Dischi del Minollo and in digital distribution via Believe
( promotion by Conza Press).
