WL//WH Interview LES LONGS ADIEUX
Les Long Adieux, the Rome, Italy-based Darkwave project born in 2020 by the joint effort between kindred spirits Federica Garenna and Frank Marrelli, is fresh from releasing its fifth studio album, “Arousal,” around two years since their previous opus, “Vertigo,” interspersed by the AOR Rock endeavour under the moniker Anna Never. Fueled by a common passion for the futuristic electronic-laced New Wave aesthetics of the 80s, scented with an intoxicating Mediterranean dance flair, the pair implements dark yet glowing melancholic synthetic architectures and atmospheric guitar brushes to frame Federica‘s powerful, magnetic, and elegantly masculine-tinged vocal delivery. Let’s get to know the dynamic Roman duo better.
Thanks so much for the interview. Let’s start from your early years. When and how did music first become an essential part of your life?
Federica: My relationship with music started right away. I was very lucky to be born in a historical period in which TV offered really wonderful cartoons for children, with equally memorable songs and soundtracks. I remember always singing my favourite songs, advertising jingles and adorable ’80s pop hits that were mainstream at that time. Then I lost my mother, and music became even more important. At that time, I listened to a lot of classical music and opera to feel closer to her. Growing up, my musical tastes always remained around the decade of my childhood (synth pop, ‘77 punk, post punk, new wave, AOR, mainstream rock and pop).
Frank: It was 1990, I was just a kid, while watching a Saturday night TV show, I came across Iron Maiden‘s “Holy Smoke” video. Finally, those guys with the cool monster posters had a sound! From there, I never stopped, and I discovered new bands for quite some time.
What were some of the musical experiences, records, and concerts that planted a seed for your fondness of New Wave/Darkwave adjacent sounds?
Federica: As soon as I finished high school, the internet connection arrived at my house. I don’t remember how I accidentally downloaded the Cure‘s greatest hits and fell madly in love. A couple of months later, I went to the Trilogy Concert in Berlin, and that occasion completely changed the course of my life. Until that moment, I had been a teenager completely submissive to a dysfunctional and bourgeois family. I didn’t have the freedom to make my own choices, to have my own tastes, not even in friendships. Following the Cure on tour for a few dates was my first personal choice, from which also derived aesthetic, friendships, choices…
In that Tempodrom audience, surrounded by all those people united by the same love for that music, I felt for the first time in the right place and at the right time. Then it took me years to find the courage to start a band, later to start a darkwave band, but when I succeeded, it was really a great happiness.
Do you approach your albums conceptually, or do they take shape naturally as the songs come together?
Federica: I am convinced that music is a sort of alternative alphabet to words. I’m not good at recognizing the moods I go through until I get to the keyboard and find the sequence most familiar to that feeling. Then I imagine a continuation, and finally I add words, concepts that seem to me the right translation. It can be said that our albums are born as a search for a response to the things that happen to us and how we react to them. We always like the answers. I always admire those who manage to put social or current issues in music, but my experience has always given me so much to do that I have focused on the intimate part.
At what age did you start singing? How did you sculpt and improve your distinctive vocal delivery over time? Has it always been an effortless, natural process? Is there anyone you’ve been inspired by?
Federica: Like all people who sing, I went through the “shower” phase, in which you sing to feel good, without caring about doing it precisely. Then you find out that you could do it professionally, and then you study. Maybe you try to become very technical, but then you discover that technique makes you “cold”, focused on getting a “wow”. And then you finally approach the phase that leads you to look for YOUR vocality. The Darkwave allowed me to take my contralto register to the extreme, just the opposite of the rock that instead had always asked me to exaggerate on the upper part of the texture. I have integrated all my defects into the vocality: nasality, gastritis, anger and displeasure, trying to make them theatrical. The sound that my voice has now completely reflects my character, even in the unsightly part, and this makes me feel very comfortable despite my shyness.
Let’s talk about the origins of LLA. How did you meet? How did your musical project take shape?
Federica: Frank and I had known each other for years, and we met playing other musical genres. During the lockdown, we met by commenting on a Facebook post and talking; it turned out that we both wanted to play some New Wave-influenced sound. Once again, it was thanks to the Cure. We started with a cover of “Charlotte Sometimes” to acclimatize, and then we looked for our own way in this new style.
Tell us about the alchemy between you two? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each one of you? What do you most admire and detest about each other?
Federica: Playing together in a duo and being a couple in life has more positive than negative sides. Knowing each other by heart allows us to help and value ourselves. Even the fact of living in the same place has its weight: we are very quick to conclude what we have to do each time. The less beautiful side concerns me more than Frank, for example, the fact that many prefer to relate to him for various reasons, because the man in Italy is considered even more professional than the woman, and not to create any problems of jealousy, which we really don’t have.
The most beautiful side of Frank in the LLA is courage. Frank throws himself, dares, doesn’t set limits and doesn’t set any on me. He is very creative but also believes in the creativity of others. I like the approach with which he faces music and the audience. Finally, he has a great imagination, great managerial skills and a sense of humour that helps a lot to overcome adversity.
Frank: I find Federica very talented, perhaps her best quality is her ability to write very catchy but not banal melodies, furthermore she has an almost stoic ability to work on the details in a true perfectionist way.
Let’s look back at two previous albums with a cool head. Which moments/songs are you most proud of, and which ones could have been better? What evolution does the new LP represent for the LLA beyond them?
Federica: As I told you, Frank and I are omnivores in music ratings. We have changed paths many times over the years, and our compositions have always been affected. For years, for example, we focused on Italian lyrics and a musical amalgam that made our origin recognizable. Then, the experiences in Italy and the worsening of the mentality of our country led us to mentally flee towards a universally known language. We are still very proud of “Vertigo” and we are even more proud of “Arousal.” I don’t deny “Veleni” and “Piccolo Dizionario”, but now I don’t feel them in line with my mood anymore. Musically, I have always dreamed of a more electronic formula for us, probably because the years of rock, with its extremes, its distortions and its clichés, have worn me out a bit.
Frank: I really like “Vertigo“, while I hardly listen to “Piccolo Dizionario di Parole Fraintese” anymore. I don’t dislike it either, but I think we developed that sound much better in the side project Anna Never.
How did your approach to composing and recording evolve over the course of three albums?
Federica: It can evolve, but it can also regress. There were periods in which, for various reasons, we neither played nor recorded. In that case, you always take a while to feel comfortable in your role. In other periods, however, you are more trained and also more comfortable creating new songs.
Where does the impulse to create something come from? What are your sources of inspiration?
Federica: The greatest source of inspiration is everyday life. As the years go by, human relationships seem to me more and more like a jungle. You have so many experiences every time you relate to others that there is emotional material for hundreds of other albums.
How did last year’s rock side project Anna Never influence the band’s new material?
Federica: The split into LLA and Anna Never allows us to subdivide into two blocks what we have identified as expressive modes, so that they do not converge in the same situation, creating a crossover saturated with contrasts. Anna Never resents our past, draws on the clichés of rock, gives more space to Frank‘s guitar style, to the lyrics in Italian, to the louder and scratched vocals. LLA remains our most experimental incarnation, where we dare to explore more difficult solutions than our comfort zone.
What are your topics and challenges as a lyric writer? I found your multilingual brief inserts in your lyrics quite intriguing.
Federica: For me, writing in English is very difficult. Not being a native speaker and rarely having a conversation in English, I tend to make a lot of mistakes or give a different meaning to a concept than the one I intended. Italian grammatical construction is very special; once you get used to using it, you risk applying it to other languages, which are much more basic. I would really like to express myself in English as I can do in Italian. This is also why I need to keep a project in my mother language: the lyrics are very important to me, almost more than music. I’m glad you find the mixture of two languages intriguing, I give it my all 🙂
Is there a thread, a concept that ties the songs all together, both lyric and music-wise?
Federica: Of course there is! Nostalgia for the world we lived in as children. I believe that many people feel uncomfortable in this era, especially those who are old enough to be able to compare it with the previous one. At the cost of being démodé, when we play and want to find relief, we go where we were happy. So in the sounds and themes of the old world.
Give us a deep insight into the creative process that informed “Arousal”, the way the new material developed and gradually took its final shape, starting from its title.
Federica: As I told you in question 3, one day I sit down and let myself be guided in the choices by the simple inspiration of the moment. I start by choosing a bpm and try to build a metronome beat that I like. In the meantime, I choose the electronic drums to use, and even there, that choice can change everything. Suppose you choose a TR 808 emulator, I immediately think of OMD or Human League first way. So I immediately choose whether to use bass, synth bass, baritone guitar, or more things together. On the choice of synth sounds I could talk for hours, but I will be synthetic… I always go on classic sounds, mainly strings, and more rarely pluck. Then I make up themes for hours until I find one that I find more catchy. At that point, after a hint of structure, Frank arrives. Frank can change many things with his approach. When Frank has put his parts, I look for a vocal line. Finally, I put the lyrics and tried to make the first attempts. I tend to choose the first ones often, because they seem to be the most honest, also because at the beginning of a new song is more tiring, so you are extremely focused.
This process must be repeated for about 8 songs. At the end, after deciding on the right tracklist, trying to enhance each song, I return to the psychological sector to understand what the album means to me, what scenarios it has taken me to, and what message it has left me. In the case of “Arousal”, I retraced many events that led me to a state of constant alert, an alert that I thought was an enemy. Instead, it is a very efficient self-protection system, which I observe with much more positivity than before. The connection with psychology has become very strong in my life for about ten years, and I wanted a full connection with our production.
What is your take on the independent Rome/Italian scene? Which new and old artists/bands do you like the most?
Federica: The Italian scene is very active, for each strand there are dozens of excellent bands. Here in Italy, it is very difficult to get a space; it is very easy to earn ostracism if you are not practical with the mentality or not well integrated in the environment and socializing. In addition, the audience and the musicians themselves tend to be very conservative and not very welcoming to the new entries. This is not always a bad thing, but it discourages a little those who approach this genre with great enthusiasm. I like many bands very much, among them I can name Bohemien and Sacred Legion, 30 Denari just to name a few.
Frank: There are definitely some good bands in the underground scene; the real problem is that they’re often left to their own devices, often having to play in extreme situations, accepting conditions that aren’t ideal, but aren’t even convenient. From what I hear, it’s a situation that affects the entire underground scene, from metal to post-punk, and unfortunately, I don’t think things will improve.
If I had to name some bands, I could say: Klimt 1918, Doomraiser, The Delinquents, Back For Death, Aborym, sorry, I am sure I forgot many bands…
Let’s talk about your best-worst live experiences so far. How does your emotional interaction with the audience work during a gig?
Federica: For me, performing in public is not easy. I’m very shy, and I have to try very hard to let myself go. I always think of gigs as a contagion. You sound good if the people who listen to you are well-disposed, curious, and follow you carefully. If you feel under examination or if the people in front of you are cold, you also become cold. There were receptions that made us play very well, and others not so much. The audience, spoiled by years of talent shows, has realized that they have a power, but prefers to use it against itself, and this also harms the audience itself. I hope there will be a return to curiosity sooner or later.
Frank: When I was younger, I loved playing live, but now I don’t. If you mean the best and worst experiences with Les Longs Adieux, I could list a few, even though we chose not to do many live shows. We enjoyed playing before Clan Of Xymox last year, we really enjoyed the gigs in Emilia Romagna in 2025, and also our experience in Spain a couple of years before that. The worst experience, however, I think, was in 2024. We played on an outdoor stage in the stifling heat, while the other band that night played inside the air-conditioned venue.
Many thanks for being our welcome guests and best of luck with the release! What does the future hold for LLA? Do you have anything to add?
Federica: Thank you very much for the very interesting questions and for allowing us to give a broad vision of our project. We hope to continue to release records and that the audience continues to prefer the human way with all its imperfections.
