The Band: ITALIA 90

The Release: ‘AN EPISODE’

The Format: DIGISINGLE

The Labels: FIERCE PANDA / PERMANENT CREEPS

The Release Date: SEPTEMBER 6TH 2019

The Truth: the excellently-named Italia 90 consist of Georgie McVicar (guitar), Joe Davies (drums), Bobby Portrait (bass) and the even-more-excellently-named frontman Les Miserable. They live in South London and are returning with their first release of 2019, ‘An Episode’, a new single jointly released by the fierce panda and Permanent Creeps labels. This is the first track to hurtle from a brand new EP - the third by Italia 90 and therefore called 'EP III' - which is due later in the year.

With a string of exuberantly bolshy live shows beneath their braces ‘An Episode’ follows a pair of Italia 90 digital singles in 2018 (with the experimental Newcastle-based imprint Box Records), and two sold out self-released cassettes. The band’s reappearance with 'An Episode' marks an evolution of the energetic, dissonant and angular sound they established on those releases.

“Our music threads together several disparate influences,” they say, “but we are united by friendship and a drive to make exciting, interesting and politically and socially engaged music.” This much is true – not for nothing are Italia 90 the first band in the entire history of alternative music to garner comparisons to Angelic Upstarts and Campag Velocet in the same hectic breath.

(Ill)-fittingly, ‘An Episode’ is a post-punk post-mortem of a troubling late night encounter, and finds lyricist Les Miserable exploring more personal, but no less politicised subject matter than on the band’s previous releases. His distinctive vocal is paired with frenzied and textured guitar work, alongside propulsive, layered percussion and a distorted and dogged bassline. At its climax, all elements snap into place following the punctuated chant: “RIGHT. THROUGH. ME!” ‘An Episode’, which has been a popular staple of the band’s cacophonous live shows for the past year, is therefore ITALIA 90’s most concise and idiosyncratic statement to date. Come on feel the cacophony at these shows here:

October 4th CAMDEN HAWLEY ARMS
(DIY / Jack Daniels show)

November 6th HACKNEY MOTH CLUB
(supporting LIFE)

November 9th UTRECHT LE GUESS WHO? FESTIVAL

November 12th BRIGHTON KOMEDIA
(Total Bollocks 2 - Stay Up Late Charity Fundraiser)

"...Very much rate this, and certainly don’t think that Wire, Alternative TV, Sauna Youth and Institute’s ‘Catharsis’ LP are excessively flattering reference points..." The Quietus

"...Catnip for fans of Protomartyr or The Fall..." The Ransom Note

"...Sounds as though it was recorded in a working sawmill..." Hard of Hearing Music

"...The sound this four piece create, recalls those early Wire recordings, Joy Division cassettes and Gang of Four bootlegs at least one mate would own having sneaked a cassette recorder into the venue to record and listen to a few weeks later…." Louder Than War

www.facebook.com/italia90band
www.fiercepanda.co.uk
www.facebook.com/permanentcreeps