Regular listeners will know the name Weird., with a period following the name. The first single from multi-instrumentalist Marco Barzetti was immediately compelling: a slice of epic shoegaze fused with slowcore and post-rock sonic swells. The song “Infinite Decay” made an immediate impact on our listeners, and charted in the top 20 songs for 2014 on our airwaves. Two albums, some quality covers, and several engaging singles, and Weird. made a mark not only in their native Rome, but around the world. He’d also provided lyrics and guitar dynamics for psych stalwarts Sonic Jesus, and has shared stages with Black Angels, The Veldt, TOY, Girls Names and The Underground Youth, just to name a few.
The process of moving home led to changes in his personal life: changing jobs, coming to terms with memories, joys and frustrations. A new direction, a new identity had to be found, as he improvised a batch of songs from the themes that nagged at his consciousness: growing up, navigating friendship and love, being empathic in a world that rewards apathy. Years of rediscovery and remembrance led to a year filled with songwriting, tuning and recording, but under a new banner: True Sleeper.
Signed to Lady Sometimes Records (making their own waves in the past year with a high quality roster), Marco Barzetti’s new project True Sleeper releases the Life Happened LP on 29 April, which just happens to coincide with his 26th birthday. The single “Coda” dropped on 12 April, giving a taste of things to come. Press play, and we’ll walk you through a bit more of what makes the album compelling.
The sonic focus here is more on the swell than the distortion, but nothing is sacrificed in the approach. Parts of the presentation almost resemble Soul Whirling Somewhere, in that raw emotion and strength of song are allowed to carry you downstream. Don’t expect sonic pyrotechnics, just a warmth of lived experience.
From the liner notes: “The sun set slowly as I was transported in a dark wood. A strong wind whistling through the trees. There’s a pier at the end of the forest. We’re at the showdown. No turning back. It’s just a leap forward, towards the reality. I won’t fear this dive.”
The next step forward for Marco Barzetti mines a deep vein of remembrance and regret in True Sleeper. It will be fascinating to chart his next steps.
Life Happened from True Sleeper is released on 29 April, but available for preorder now on Lady Sometimes Records.
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