DKANDLE is releasing the debut album MONDANO on September 23 (CLICK HERE to pre-save it).
The concept of the album MONDANO refers to worldliness (mondano = worldly). Dusk and full moon invite us to leave home and do worldly things, that is, to have fun without religious guilt. MONDANO is a tribute to the lifestyle I chose to have, that of worldliness, in contrast to every attempt of religion and society's moralism to condemn the worldly lifestyle. I do not condemn this style, on the contrary, I celebrate the fact that I am mondano... As Proust shows in his book 'In Search of Lost Time', where the main character discovers his vocation and life fulfillment not in asceticism, but in worldliness, I also think that it is by enjoying the world that we grow spiritually. With all the pains and delights of this planet - this is how we are supposed to live. Asceticism is for the weak and repressed. Life is too short to be spent without pleasures. Enjoy your life, embrace all colors, learn from all experiences, live your worldliness to the fullest... Being Ascetist is out. Being Mondano is in!
Check out the description of the tracks:
1+1=1 1+1=1 is an oriental concept that states that “there is nothing to be added” in the universe. This concept also states that 1-1=1, or that “there is nothing to be subtracted”. Musically, it is greatly inspired by the Ohm Mantra sound.
DISSOCIATION This song is about leaving toxic environments. You left, and now you celebrate and welcome your freshly acquired freedom. Musically, the intention was to balance linear Apollonian riff with chaotic Dionysian solo.
STAMPA CLANDESTINA The lyrics are about escaping from dogmas. Among other things, I imagine what would be like a Vatican Gay Parade. The Church would have to advance a lot in order to have the guts to make it. Will it ever happen?… I don't know. Musically, I used a pedal with a bend chorus effect on the guitar, which is characteristic of shoegaze. A curiosity about this track is that the last part of the song is a sample of a sound captured on Mars.
FLAME This is first shoegaze song I ever wrote. It was originally written as a remix for Wry, but they were looking for an electronic remix, so I took the musical arrangement and rewrote the vocal lines over it. The lyrics are about the search of pleasure, which is condemned by religions with the “flame” of hell. We are all going to the hell of the other religion, so let's just embrace the flame and enjoy its warmth (it seems inevitable, anyway)…
KEEP SMILING This track was originally written for my teenager band Pregnant Felix, but it was never finished then, so when I started playing as DKANDLE, I recovered it and finally completed it. I think it has a great balance between shoegaze and grunge. The lyrics are about not giving up doing what you like, even if sometimes you need to unwind. If you are not harming anybody else or any property... keep smiling and do as you please.
FLUIDS EXCHANGE The intention was to write a shoegaze song with offensive lyrics, because I read someone saying that shoegaze artists always seem to be afraid of offending someone. It is an ode to secular personal freedom, which actually sounds pretty offensive for so many people. Musically, I wanted the guitar to sound super crunchy. I think the bass line stands out in this one.
TRANS-SPIRITED It was written in 1998 and I used to play it with my former band N.O.P.E, but it was never released commercially back then. I re-wrote it adding more layers of sonic effects, so now it sounds more grungegazy. Trans-Spirited summons Apollo and Dionysus to celebrate spirituality through worldliness.
SUNBURST It was the last song to be written for the album. It was the winter of 2022. It has a darker mood, maybe influenced by the notion that my dog was in her last days. The lyrics try to bring some light to those who decided to “die to the world” and go live an ascetic style of life, wasting their precious time out of the world.
ESCAPIST COMFORT Even though this is the merriest song of the album, I was feeling really miserable when it was written. I had just lost a friend to a reclusive religious cult and it made me feel really down. So I decided to pick up my guitar and write something to uplift me. It has a strong instrumental structure, so I decided to not include lyrics, even though there is a choir in the second half of the song.
OUT SEPTEMBER 23
