Ann Marie Nacchio ‘it's been a day, a week, a month, a year’
Unconventional, inspired, and rebellious—Ann Marie Nacchio’s it’s been a day, a week, a month, a year features thrilling sonics and honest storytelling. The album sees the breaking and rebuilding of structure and form in dynamic, confrontational manners. Continuity and departure creates friction in between songs. “Kismet” journeys to the deep ocean of truth through a filmic lens, opening in the massive, ground-shaking sound of a grand piano. Clashing, explosive, bizarre and dark-entranced, Nacchio’s stunningly smooth vocal in contrast with that is simply breathtaking.
“Loose-Lipped Love” is simply impressive. Its industrial grunge soundscape creates such a drastic vibe, while the airy background vocals spiral and swirl through an awe-infused trance. Even though it’s ginormous in its world-building scale, the track doesn’t lack intimacy and emotional vulnerability. Nacchio’s expressive vocal pulls your heart strings. “Maybe” highlights a Phoebe Bridger dairy style storytelling with emotive, orchestral soundscapes. The dynamic “Dead Flowers” then travels back to cinematic, heartfelt piano, while “Manic” induces a hypnotic, mesmerizing experience. What channeled through her is just incredible. it’s been a day, a week, a month, a year is inspired and eclectic.
In our interview, Nacchio revealed that the whole album poured out of her a few years ago in one set. Read the full clip below:
Punk Head: I like your cinematic style of storytelling. It’s very refreshing! How was the writing process for It’s been a day, a week, a month, a year?
Ann Marie Nacchio: The songs just poured out of me a couple years back—I was feeling particularly inspired at the time. All the songs are about the same subject, and all were written within a year of each other. I teamed up with producer Adam Tilzer to bring these songs to life in early 2022, and it was almost as if it was still being written—many of the songs moved in completely unexpected directions.
PH: Since your debut album, Little Dangers, you have released two EP. That’s very prolific compare to most musicians. Where do you usually find your inspirations?
Ann Marie Nacchio: From life experience. These songs are very dear to me, and very personal. I was defintiely a little nervous to put these songs out in the world, like I was being "seen." it's been a day, a week, a month, a year is a phrase I would often say, especially at that time in my life, so I felt like it encapsulated the entire EP. This EP is actually part 1 of a larger whole called The Outward Spiral, which was just released this March 3. Both have been written for some time, it just took a little while to actually record them.
PH: What’s your favorite song on It’s been a day, a week, a month, a year? Can you tell us more about the song?
Ann Marie Nacchio: It is really hard to pick a favorite; it's like trying to pick a favorite child! If I did have to pick though, I probably have two, both which I love for different reasons. “Friend” is among my favorites because I think it is a prime example of my writing style, both lyrically and harmonically. I consider it to be the best song I've ever written (though some may disagree). I am proud of how densely packed the lyrical content is-- every line comes fully loaded with information, from the way they are said to the adjectives used. It's all very deliberate. It is also a complete and accurate retelling of the experiences that led to the writing of the entire EP. My other favorite would be “Loose-Lipped Love,” mostly because of the epic transformation it underwent. It began as a finger-picked acoustic song and Adam turned it into a grungy, almost industrial groove, which is right up my alley. It's also a fan favorite.
PH: Is there a pivotal moment in your creative journey?
Ann Marie Nacchio: I've been performing my whole life, as well as been writing songs my entire life, so neither performing nor writing anything would have been particularly pivotal for me. I would say, however, that my debut release was really important in my creative journey. All debut releases are important, but Little Dangers is a sort of greatest hits of all the songs I've written since college. I recorded and engineered everything myself for the most part. It took years to finish, because of life getting in the way, but that release sort of opened the floodgates, as I had this entire EP written before it even was able to come out. I was completely ready to go once it was released.
PH: What’s coming up next for Ann Marie Nacchio?
Ann Marie Nacchio: I'm working on some new music, doing some co-writes as well, but I haven't entered the recording stage just yet. I think my focus will be more on singles for now, and I'm hoping to have a single out before the end of the year!
