Often talents grown up in your own backyard, but you’re entirely too wrapped up in looking outside.
I was missing Truemantic, the solo moniker of the young Italian artist Toto Ronzulli from a small village of the South of Italy, influenced by the synthpop, post punk and new wave of the 80’s, he’s just released his impressive debut self-titled full length on Seahorse Recordings.
Almost entirely instrumental, except for ‘8’ featuring the fellow Bologna’s wave-gazers Dade City Days (check out the video I missed here), the intriguing noir and troubled Truemantic universe is made of contrasts and tensions, entiwined deeply in the sound and moods, where darkness is pierced by glimpes of light, sadness is tempered by far hints of joy, minimalistic and intimate, soundscapes of hazy fragility alternate with maximalistic rhythmic accelerations of brooding and melodic synth-driven post-punk and electro-pop nuances.
Right at the latter belongs “Vento del Sud / South Wind”, driven by throbbing and propulsive post-punkish bass lines, is underpinned by poignant and sinister synth melodies, punchy beats and mesmerising and intricate guitar leads, bringing a unique blend of gloom, laced with urgent pop charm.
An highly surprising debut album, a bold, genuine and immersive cathartic journey into the tormented soul of a romantic young goth, standing on the edge between melancholy and anxiety, painful, dramatic, but never nihilistic, with an healthy dose of dark irony, absolutely a very promising young talent to keep an eye on.
Keep up with Truemantic :
by Badthrowup/Antonio Paradiso
