With their debut LP "Quale Futuro?" fast approaching, twee punks Qlowski share punchy new single, "Folk Song".
One. Simple. Direct. Question. Quale Futuro? What Future? Obliterated by a tumultuous year with lingering anxiety, uncertainty and a city ready to break any strand of hope, Qlowski resorted to what they know best, turning frustration into dreams, stockpiling possibilities, fabricating desire and simply, living.
They say of the single's accompanying video,
"The original idea was to recreate a late 70s/early 80s Top of the Pops scenario - but given the nature of the song we opted for a more dreamy/nightmarish vibe. The presenter is struggling pronouncing our name and no one in the crowd is even slightly touched by our performance and music. Everyone is actually frozen in time, as if our music wasn’t even reaching their reality. For once we wanted to be ironic and funny, but it turned out quite Lynchian I'm afraid!"
Qlowski entered the studio in late January 2020, basically before everything. Crammed in a small studio room in Tottenham Hale with producer Lindsay A. Corstorphine (Sauna Youth, Cold Pumas, Middex) they created a striking, full blown manifesto, where their early post-punk nuances are heightened by an extremely poetic and compelling vision that encapsulates words, imagery and noise.
Propulsive rhythms, a modern spin on kiwi-pop and a weird combination of dark punk, noise rock and flower pop are still the foundation of their sound but it’s the combination of bandleaders Mickey and Cecilia’s voices that creates an eerie effortless sense of familiarity. It’s no wonder they’ve known each other since they were young kids.
‘A Woman’ shines bright with Cecilia’s intimate and prismatic approach that unites Poly Styrene’s fierce delivery with the ethereal vocal melodramas produced by Joe Meek in the 60s. Mikey’s howl is confrontational and direct, moving from the motto-induced style of Italian new wave art-punks CCCP on ‘Lentil Soup’ to a deep commanding calm steadiness on ‘Lotta Continua’ and frenetic frenzy on ‘To Be True’.
Ferocity, heart, art and conviction travel together on Quale Futuro?, placing Qlowski in that beautiful lineage of bands trying to escape the masculine showmanship of borderline rock’n’roll and outsider punk. Martin Newell, Television Personalities, Half Japanese, The Raincoats, The Clean, Killing Joke, Aussie Punk. Music narrating life through all the artistic forms. If concrete-punk was just a fun label thrown around to define Qlowski in the early days, now it has become a calling, a statement defining their future.
Qlowski is Michele Tellarini (Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals), Cecilia Corapi (Keyboards, Vocals), Danny Smartt (bass, clarinet) and Christian Billard (drums, percussions).
Quale Futuro? is also a 28 page zine, in which more than 20 artists and friends contributed with images, poems and short essays. ‘What Future?’ is an attempt to answer to the album’s main question, and ultimately to generate new narratives through different perspectives.
Quale Futuro? is due 4th June on Maple Death Records / Feel It Records (N. America), premiering with a release show at London's Moth Club.
Preorder "Quale Futuro?" here!