London-based project Qlowski have announced their debut album: it’s coming out on June 4 and is called Quale Futuro?, which means “what future?” in Italian – the native language of band members Michele Tellarini (Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals), Cecilia Corapi (Keyboards, Vocals). The quartet is rounded out by the rhythm section of Danny Smartt (bass, clarinet) and Christian Billard (drums, percussions).
The first song shared from Quale Futuro? is “A Woman”, a song that encompasses the ideals and frustrations of Qlowski. It begins ethereally, walls of spectral keys rising like a mist, before vocals set the song on a path of sneering righteousness. The reliable rhythm section pushes the song forward with a wonky kraut gait, making a perfect accompaniment for the dissatisfied lyricism, which reflects on the difficulty of being a woman in the modern age – even as we all believe that things are becoming ‘more equal’. Switching between vocalists, and from yelps to softly-spoken musings, they pull us into this gritty tiresome world, where excoriating atmospherics climb inside the polychromatic production. It’s knotty and gnarled while remaining beautiful – an utterly compelling piece.
Eli Hart directed the video for “A Woman”, which you can watch below. On the clip, the band say:
“There’s a famous Irish republican quote that goes “It is not those who can inflict the most, but those who can suffer the most who will prevail”. In this sense A Woman is a song of victory, and the video tries to tell this story. Sometimes victory comes through apparent surrendering. In this video Cecilia surrenders to the Futuro Police, to all the forces that are trying to dictate her destiny and essence. But she does that on her own terms, singing her own song, finally proud and fierce in her own persona.”
Qlowski’s debut album Quale Futuro? arrives on June 4 via Maple Death Records and Feel It Records (pre-order/save). You can find the band on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Bandcamp.
