THE UNEXPECTED is the first album by MAYSNOW, released on Friday, October 23, 2020, under the record label B District Music, Section 8.
“Echoes Of Rain” and “Moving Mouth” are the first singles released from the Salento band’s latest studio effort. These two tracks are emotionally powerful and encapsulate the entire emotional charge of the album: a journey into an overwhelming and nostalgic dreamlike dimension where pain, melancholy, and the clash of dark and contrasting feelings and sensations explode in the soul in an oppressive whirlwind that needs to take a well-defined shape.
“The Unexpected is the album dedicated to Mimmo Angelini, our dear friend who passed away on May 5, 2014. The songs are born precisely from the memory, which merges with the dream: the dream you wish were reality. ‘The Unexpected’ is what you thought you would never face, it is the darkness with open eyes, suddenly,” explains Daniele Rini, the band’s vocalist and founder. “The album is dense with contrasts of light and shadow, where the dark theme of loss, extensively explored in the work, contrasts with the birth of new life, which opens glimpses of brightness in the sound. This contrast is well known in the various compositional moments widely distinguishable in the tracklist, given that the creation of the songs took several years. Over time, numerous artists have taken turns in recording the pieces, before arriving in the last two years at the stable lineup of the band, identified with a more rock and gritty sound.”
THE UNEXPECTED attests to the band’s unique and elaborate style. The stylistic coordinates are those of post-grunge, combined with the dark atmospheres of metal expressed in an acoustic key. A sweeping and impactful sound, where acid and distorted guitars contrast with an elegant and clean instrumental line, masterfully embroidered by classical instruments such as piano, violin, and cello. Some nods to progressive rock sonorities highlight the compositional finesse of the album, which shows its evolution through the ten tracks that compose it, becoming at times strongly melodic and hypnotic.
There are ten tracks that bring THE UNEXPECTED to life: “The first drafts of the songs were born spontaneously in 2015, as a magical flow to exorcise the pain, then becoming, over time, real songs. Music has become a powerful medicine to heal the soul, every single note and word are viscerally and indissolubly linked,” comments the band.
Daniele Rini: “On September 8, 2015, I saw Mimmo in a dream for the first time. I jotted everything down in a notebook, from there some lyrics were born, including ‘White Marble,’ ‘Black Marble,’ and ‘Echoes Of Rain.’ Even the album cover is inspired by that dream, incredibly realistic, full of mystery and symbols.”
The album cover is a drawing by Daniele Serra, a world-renowned illustrator. Serra’s works have been included in some works by Stephen King and Ramsey Campbell. Serra has also worked with authors Clive Barker and Marcello Fois. His works were also used as set dressing for the film adaptation of Stephen King’s book Cell (directed by Tod Williams and starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson).
“The artist perfectly captured the atmosphere of the album, expressing it through images and symbols taken precisely from that dream I had on September 8, 2015,” says Daniele Rini.
The lyrics are by Daniele Rini, the music for ‘White Marble,’ ‘The Circle of the Unexpected,’ and ‘I Drift’ are by Daniele Rini; the music for ‘Black Marble,’ ‘Moving Mouth,’ and ‘The Secret Door’ are by Daniele Rini and Roberto Vergallo, the latter also the author of the music for ‘Echoes of Rain,’ ‘Orchid,’ ‘Dawn of September,’ and ‘Misty Morning.’ Supporting Daniele Rini and Roberto Vergallo are Nicola Lezzi on bass and Antonio De Rubertis on keyboards, who have enriched the tracks with elaborate and original arrangements, elevating the quality level of the songs.
The first recordings of the album began in 2017 with the most acoustic and atmospheric pieces of the album, thanks to the collaboration of various artists. The recording was handled by Ercole Buccolieri, while the mixing and mastering were done by Angelo Buccolieri. In the second half of 2019, the recordings of all the remaining electric pieces resumed. The recordings took place in a home studio and at 4/4 Lab in Leverano, the latter handled by Daniele D’Agostino, while the mixing and mastering were done by Angelo Buccolieri.
Tracklist:
- Black Marble (5:36)
- Echoes of Rain (6:36)
- I Drift (3:48)
- Orchid (6:31)
- Moving Mouth (7:08)
- The Circle of the Unexpected (3:44)
- The Secret Door (5:55)
- Dawn of September, Pt. 1 (1:57)
- Misty Morning (9:32)
- White Marble (4:47)