Byenow
Out Stack/Fooltribe, 2020
8/10
A duo comprised of Andrea Dellapiana and Nicholas Remondino, as Byenow the pair bring an experimental quality to their folk prowess, where noises of non-instrument origin are on hand, alongside the strong guitar and drum work where most of the tunes were tracked live.
“Window” starts the listen with warm acoustic guitar as soulful folk inspired sounds flow with both grace and playfulness, and “Stay Away” continues the formula with energetic percussion and plenty of rhythm entering the artistic landscape.
Halfway through, “Crackling Leaves” stays bare with a soft intimacy guided by a careful guitar line, while “Rooted” is a busier affair that puts a well done spin on indie-folk with plenty of gritty melody. “Playground”, one of the best tracks, then recruits a lot of background noises as expressive vocals suit the experimental ideas that embrace electronics.
Near the end, “EYEsUN” burns slowly with an almost cathartic approach of emotive sparseness, and the busier “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” exits the listen with plenty of careful interplay between the guitars and drums, and a trombone even makes an appearance to complement the colorful setting.
This Italian pair are really onto something here, as they put a clever spin on the current state of indie-rock, where they make quite a large impression with just a few basic noisemakers on this carefully crafted first album.
Travels well with: Tweeedo- We All Think We’re Good People; Paolo Spaccamonti- Volume Quattro