Hate Moss – A Hot Mess (Trovarobato/Stock-a)

Italian-Brazilian duo Hate Moss return with A Hot Mess, their new album, due out Jan. 30, a record that consolidates their collaboration with the historic Bologna-based label Trovarobato (Daniela Pes, Gaia Banfi, Iosonouncane) and follows Mercimek Days EP released last June. Spawned during a long tour that touched South America, Europe, the United Kingdom and part of the Middle East, the record reflects Ian Carvalho and Tina Galassi’s experiences in the alternative cultural scene, the result of a musical dimension rooted in social centers and DIY culture. Once again their primal characteristic shines through, eluding any genre with an incredible mix of electronics, proto-industrial, synth-punk, rave culture, minimal techno and tribal rhythms that reveal hints of tradition coming from their respective origin countries. In their fertile wandering between apparently distant sound universes, one can nevertheless perceive the shadow of the Italian and Brazilian singer-songwriters of the sixties and seventies, with their ability to chronicle social change and internal turbulences merged with today’s lysergic visions’ of the clubbing and trip-hop scene.

Produced in collaboration with Pour Atom Oil – already by the band’s side in their previous work and a producer for artists such as Maria Chiara Argirò – the album is a sonic journey that crosses different genres, from trip hop to electroclash, with world music and industrial influences, and was written, recorded and mixed by the group itself, therefore maintaining full creative control at every stage of its production process.

The lyrics address strong social issues, exploring a linguistic plurality that spans Portuguese, English, Spanish, Italian and even a song in Tuscan dialect. Recurring themes include the precariousness of the new generations, occupational fatalities, social inequalities and a political realm crushed by market interests, as demonstrated by the two singles that anticipated the album’s release, “Mentiras” and “Bianca”.

Through a fusion of organic percussion, electronics and intense vocals, enriched by contributions from friends and fellow musicians, Hate Moss brings to life an album that does not limit itself to denunciation, but invites the listener to reflect and believe in possible change.

A Hot Mess is enriched by a series of collaborations like on the track track “Amor Sincreto”, with Brazilian artist Vitor Brauer (Lupe de Lupe), and ‘Paradox’, embellished by the saxophone of Italian artist Tyto (Beppe Scardino), best known for his work with baritone sax.

The album cover, a 60×60 cm acrylic on canvas created by artist Vhro (Sara Vaccaro), is the result of a collaboration between the band and the painter: a dystopian landscape, the result of a digital saturation of religious references and artificial intelligence, which the artist then reinterpreted on canvas, restoring the human side.

The sound of this new work is an emotional explosion, capable of transporting the listener to a world where improvement is possible. A journey through a kaleidoscopic prism, hyper-pop and video game paranoia, tribal synthpop, a splash of Italo-disco, noir EBM and steady electronica.