WL//WH Review WINTER SEVERITY INDEX
Simona Ferrucci, Alessandra Romeo – Winter Severity Index
On February 18, the Italian duo Winter Severity Index (Roma) released their brand new exciting album ‘DISGELO’ via Manic Depression records, Icy Cold records, on digital format and CD, with the vinyl slated for release by Blood Rock records next spring. The duo comprises Simona Ferrucci, singer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist (guitar, bass guitar, synths, and drum machine programming), and Alessandra Romeo on synths and keyboards as well. The new album contains 8 brand new songs that show the indisputable music progress of these two ladies. If you want to hear again and again the tension and the darkness you found in their successful 2 previous albums ‘Slanting Ray’ (2018), and ‘Human Taxonomy’ (2016), then this new album will immediately start with asking you questions what kind of listener are you, what are you looking for in a new release and how much are you interested in seeing what’s really new these two women suggest.
To my wonderful surprise, I wanted too to dance again to their cold wave but ‘DISGELO’ really nailed me on the sofa with the progress WSI presented relentlessly and sincerely. And if you put the innate talent of Simona Ferrucci in writing, first of all, wonderful riffs, from there on the whole “issue” to me unveiled the amazing and odd, new exciting orchestration all over in the new LP, with new-brave pursuit and new machines and sounds that utterly intrigued me to the bone.
I found in the press kit ‘DISGELO’ (“Thaw” but also “detente”) is about the necessity of adaptation to new phases that unavoidably occur in everyone’s existence – all true and also that the LP was composed and recorded mostly before the pandemic period and already presented as a live preview in Cologne, Madrid and Stockholm with great appreciation by the audience – I just can’t find any normal reason that couldn’t make these audiences go completely crazy with what they experienced.
The new music by WSI is a blend of Cold Wave with extensive use of vast electronic sounds, with new machines, and with that “departing tendency” on the whole record. Like on the stepping stone at the gate and beyond to new musical adventures, these ladies clearly now show they don’t forget about their past “winds” and “clouds” but now they head on towards the “new” and the “tempting” new soundscapes they are after. The new album is way deeper and seemingly looser than their previous ones, controlled dark at times and with a huge inner groove all over. Mention, that you will clearly sense the presence of some fragmented kraut elements in their music. Try ‘State of Matter’ first and you will understand me better. Other songs I recommend are ‘The Tide’, ‘Golden Age/Labyrinth of memories’, ‘Fernweh’….and the entire album actually. Here it is, listen loud!!!
Keep up with Winter Severity Index:
Alessandra Romeo, Simona Ferrucci – Winter Severity Index
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