Musicians’ attempts to help everyone cope with the anxiousness in the air, the uncertainty of what tomorrow brings, and the pain of still be separated from many loved ones has included the likes of embracing the discomfort, putting humor around it, ignoring it altogether, or choosing to reject the glass-half-empty mindset for a self-assured and often melodically pleasant, optimistic view of the future.
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Songwriter Anthony Lazaro, fuses some of all these approaches in his latest EP, Basement Love, which is out tomorrow and is premiering today with American Songwriter.
Though Genoa, Italy his home, Lazaro currently lives as a resident of Hamburg, Germany. If the mention of either place makes it seem like it will be easier to figure out what kind of sound or song style Lazaro migrates to, think again. That said, it’s perhaps a bit apropos that a culturally open musician who sings and plays guitar, piano, and ukulele isn’t easy to figure out from a passing glance.
The music of Basement Love is a compact collection of five songs. Save for the final track, “A Thousand Little Fires,” which was remixed by Definitely Dean to have a very bold and punchy set of drum and bass sounds framing Lazaro’s vocal part, the rest of the melodies on Basement Love are delicately shaped – each string pluck or dry drum stick hit made to sound crisp and-or refreshing – and float by with the help of ample reverb and delay. Even the smoothly rounded manner of Lazaro’s English enunciation when he sings contributes to the EP’s overall flowing quality.
While such an aesthetic might seem entirely focused on the aforementioned choice to ignore the discomfort of the current world altogether for something musically alleviative, the narrative side of Basement Love couldn’t be farther from that approach. Before the EP was even finished plenty of what was creeping up around the world impacted Lazaro’s emotional mindset and influenced the music as it was coming together
“I think, despite
the upbeat tone of the EP you get the sense of urgency that’s connected with
things happening so fast, and you get the gently apocalyptic tone of [the
song,] “Tonight.” It’s a kaleidoscope showing the different reactions to this
kind of situation,” Lazaro says.
It’s not hard to see why Lazaro would feel so strongly about what he saw, read,
and heard when working on Basement Love. After all, Italy sat at the center of
the world stage at the beginning of COVID-19 global coverage and not for joyous
reasons.
“Being Italian I’ve seen what was happening from a special angle,” says Lazaro.
“First the ‘rumors’ and the understatements, then the mounting panic, the
sudden emergency, the apocalyptic tones, the lines in front of the supermarket.
But also the hope, the people singing from the balconies, the singing flash
mobs, the days of the #stayinside and of the solidarity.”
It’s not all lyrical doom and gloom creeping out out of Basement Love though.
A large part of the imagery and conceptual direction built into some of the
songs like “Himalaya” for example, present thoughts of far away and exotic
destinations – the kinds of places some might have pined for with some hope for
eventual visit in prior times. Lazaro taps into some of his own well-traveled
life but also makes a fantastical statement through such grand places, to
remind those still separated, what beauties in the world are worth waiting and
holding out for, knowing one day they will be visited again. Even the title
track, which narrates a story far more localized and relatable to those still
at home, comes across like a loving declaration for separated partners that
makes the choice to endure separation feel reenergized with fresh commitment to
the ones we love. In this way Lazaro is able to also channel a spark of hope
and excitement amid stagnancy and sadness.
“Basement Love” (the song) is about the dream of leaving, the wait, the sensation of being the hostage of that capricious entity called time. And has the bittersweet taste of hope: it’s the love and travel we are imagining, fantasizing about. Plus, the most romantic love of all: the reconquered one,” says Lazaro.Really, the only thing that seems to make Basement Love fall short of being the ultimate blend of honest feelings and comfort in this changed world, is that Lazaro’s voice and almost watercolor-esque sonic style seem ripe for even more artistry and even a bit more romance, through an Italian twist. Still, while rose-colored glasses make ‘sing it in Italian’ sound simple, songwriting and audience engagement are delicate processes, never mind if translations were to get involved.
“I’ve to confess that I get asked to sing in Italian a lot. The main resistance is psychological, I guess: Many bands and artists from Italy started writing in English, tried out their native language, and never went back. I love writing and singing in English, I love the language and being able to access people from all over the world with my music, so I guess I might be a little cautious about that, says Lazaro.
“The other issue is technical,” he continues. “There are some (amazing) Italian songs I love to cover sometimes but, the vowels and the sounds are so different that the singing changes a lot. Sometimes I feel like I sing in English like an Italian and in Italian like an American. But, jokes apart, [it] is definitely something I’m gonna try, sooner or later.”
Future aspirations aside, right here and now, Basement Love is something that can bring relief to many people now – single, coupled, or otherwise. The EP might give off a romantic vibe in some places but there’s a definite element of empathy to having people who love one another feel dejected about the circumstances that have forced them apart, whether it’s romantic, platonic, or just plain family. Still, for those lovers out there who are enduring the unique strain of distance for the sake of each other’s well being, Lazaro feels a special honor and even gets something of a creative drive from knowing his love-letter-like songs serve as a way for folks to keep their romance alive.
“Funnily enough, one of my main inspirations has been all the comments and the messages I got telling me how my music was a comfort during social distancing times, Lazaro says. “I’ve seen couples tagging each other under my songs, people using the same songs as love letters, even got emails by people that thanked me because they got together thanks to songs of mine.”
Check out the premiere of Basement Love below. If you want to pre-save/pre-order, check this smartlink.
