Summer 2021. Heat, a lot of heat, holidays around Italy, first post-driving license motorised adventures, outdoor concerts, ice creams, chats on the balcony, old and new friends, improvised dances, sea, crochet and quarrels with a mind in need of maintenance; all these events had something in common: Post Nebbia as a soundtrack. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever been so passionate about an Italian band, surprising myself to listen to their albums over and over again and to have some songs on loop in mind for days – or even weeks, or months. Okay, I admit I haven’t gotten out of Televendite di quadri’s tunnel yet, but sometimes you just have to accept that there are literally hypnotic songs, and that surrendering to their magnetic charm isn’t too bad. All thanks (and fault) to the same friend who converted me to Idles.
Post Nebbia were born in Padua from the fervent mind of the young Carlo Corbellini, a project in which he plays a primary role in basically all creative phases, from writing to execution and production. In 2018 they made their debut with the album Prima Stagione, winning a place in the most hidden meanderings of the Italian indie scene, causing a lot of curiosity. In this first discographic attempt – which, as sometimes happens in underground circles, has a bit of the taste of an experiment whose outcome cannot be predicted – a certain stylistic maturity is already felt, as well as those that will assert themselves as the recurring themes of the imagery of Post Nebbia: introspection, flows of consciousness, social and media observation, interest in iconography and pop culture, aesthetics and atmospheres bounded to their territory.
Then came 2020 and all that went with it. Towards the end of that unfortunate year, the Paduan band released their second album, the highly acclaimed Canale Paesaggi. Post Nebbia are still relatively early in their career, but they’ve already achieved what many fans agree in considering their masterpiece: within two years, the sounds and tastes of the first album have been thoroughly deepened and refined and the lyrics are able to convey Carlo’s thoughts and messages with absolute clarity and consistency. In this album, Corbellini tackles the themes of alienation, media engulfment, voyeurism and control, just to name a few; he expresses confusion, skepticism, fascination, disgust and submissiveness in the face of the kaleidoscope of images and voices to which we are constantly exposed, often without even realising it. Musically, Canale Paesaggi is an out-of-the-ordinary auditory experience: Post Nebbia open up to the crazy postmodern game of quotes and unexpected appearances, mixing magnetic riffs of keyboards and guitars, electronic sounds and a distracted and relaxed singing with bizarre extracts from the lowest programs of private TV channels and distorted recordings of prayers, mixing in a hypnotic and disturbing vortex.
Two years later and with a new line-up, Post Nebbia are back with Entropia Padrepio, released in May of this year. With this record, which maintains the experimental sounds of previous works, Corbellini explores new themes, this time away from luminous screens and cathode ray tube TVs: spirituality, Catholicism, rites of passage and universal chaos are among the themes addressed in the new album; he wonders about people’s intangible needs, what drives them to seek specific answers and sometimes to be satisfied that such answers don’t exist. It’s certainly a record pervaded by a wisdom and introspection never experienced before, it has an aura of sacredness but it’s not focused on religion: rather, it uses this theme to express a desire for community in a tirelessly individualistic era.
Post Nebbia are now fully considered among the most important groups of the Italian indie scene: in their works they have shown great capacity for experimentation, as well as authenticity and intelligence, always remaining faithful to themselves and to what they’re really passionate about. If you haven’t done it yet, give them a listen – you won’t regret it.
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