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!
Street Legal “Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow”
“Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow” dives into the subject of nostalgia and reflect on people recalling the good old days through rose-colored glasses. Change evokes nostalgia. In the neon-infused, retro-enriched sonic storytelling, “Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow,” just like its piercing title, spares no more words and tackles the highly relatable feeling of nostalgia with Street Legal’s impressionistic, minimalistic execution.
The track opens with a retro groove humbly laced with hazy psychedelic. The blend of synth and rock creates an illusive, alluring soundscape that breathes and shifts along the lyrics. The drums lead the hearts, tuning to the beating and rhythm of a lost decade. There’s a reawakening of feelings covered in dust, traveling across time into your ears.
“Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow” feels like a poetry in the sonic form with words that act the same way our memory does—like a snapshot, the recall of sense, subject, change, and taste. Like when you close your eyes, part of you travels back. But just like the body that stands in the present, its sonic palette is also fresh and exciting.
“Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow” is the debut release from Street Legal. The band teases more new music coming the way and an Australia tour, which will kick off in October. Check out our interview with the band and stay tuned!
Punk Head: I love the groove and the unique sonic palette of “Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow.” Can you tell us a bit more about the song?
Street Legal: Thank you! It’s a song about growing older and perhaps getting caught up too much in nostalgia—e.g the end of the millennium being the perfect decade to grow up in many people’s minds, when really there were probably things that people were just as anxious or fucked up about back then.
PH: What was your favourite moment in making the music video?
Street Legal: I really enjoyed working with Kris and Harry on bringing their vision to life—the only inspiration or cue I gave them was from a Protomartyr video I really liked and they went from there. I like how the film clip slowly descends into madness.
PH: What do you aim to accomplish in the near future?
Street Legal: The band have been working with engineer Colby Robertson who has worked with a variety of Adelaide bands on a new single which will come out with a film clip later in the year. Then hopefully an interstate tour. Australia is a very big place!
PH: Who are your biggest inspirations?
Street Legal: LCD Soundsystem, Icehouse, Kirin J Callinan. Lately we’ve been listening to Weyes Blood, Coldwave and Ice Spice.
PH: What is the one thing that you’d like your fans to know about you?
Street Legal: There will be no refunds available from the concession stand.
Candid “Tonight”
Emotional vulnerability meets Candid’s restless energy in a blast of sonics. Vivid, flamboyant, unmistakable, and hard-hitting, “Tonight” sees their unfiltered honesty crawls to the messy surface. Bouncing and echoing in ever-evolving sonics and massive volume, the track is as epic as it is cathartic. The wrenching conflicts in “Tonight” reminds you of the Academic and the explosion and intensity reminds you of Inhaler. With “Tonight,” Candid places you in the middle of an escalation of a party.
But they are more sensitive than Inhaler and less nostalgic as the Academic. Instead of lingering in the past, they take the best of the present and brings all they have on the table. Candid take you to where they are and immerse you fully with heart. From party scenes to introspective moments, they don’t have a set preference. Instead, they ride with the tide and dive right into the best and the worst of any given moment with no reservation. Highest high or lowest low, Candid is always real with you. Their honesty, transparency and head-first spirit is why we love them so much.
Originated from Coventry, UK, Candid is a five-piece indie rock outfit consisting of brothers Rob (vocalists/guitarist)and Dan Latimer (lead guitarist) along with drummer Alex Bonsor, bassist Sam Baines, and keyboard player Max Fisher. They are as versatile as they are impressive. With expansive sonics and piercing, hard-hitting vocals, Candid charms you with a very unique sound that separates them from the rest. At the same time, their music has an universal appeal that grabs listeners’ attention and wins them over in an heartbeat.
Dani Slovak “Drowning in Fire”
“When you see me, or rather hear me, I want you to remember that you got this and that great, beautiful, and extraordinary things can come out of anywhere.” —Dani Slovak
Inventive soundscapes and powerful sonics weave together with Slovak’s sensitive, evocative vocals. Unapologetically revealing lyrics bleed through captivating melodies, bursting into many powerful moments of catharsis and realization. “Drowning in Fire” is intense, imaginative, epic and haunting, but moreover, it’s a song that needed to be heard.
From being just a rough idea in Slovak’s head, the song poured into a demo one day and from there, it patiently waited for the right person and the right time. Many nights and days later, “Drowning in Fire” was born, along with its message. Slovak opens himself up to be vulnerable and real about the demons he faces.
“Drowning in Fire” is about self-destruction and the struggle of meeting others’ expectations, which again is wrapped up in a storm of short-lived situationships. “I wake up drenched in stranger’s odour as I’m slowly getting older,” is raw and honest. “I know I’m toxic to myself, I ain’t no angel, I’ll burn in hell,” captures the feeling of inadequacy and the frustration one has toward oneself when unable to make a change. By peeling his heart out in the open and showing all the broken and the rotten, Slovak speaks to these complicated, damaging yet humanly relatable feelings that many struggle with, silently and alone.
Sometimes, it may feel like the rest of the world doesn’t understand what you are going through, but he proves you wrong. Through vocalizing things that are unspeakable and often avoided, Slovak cracks the suffocating silence wide open. “Drowning in Fire” makes everyone who is going through the same thing feels less broken and alone, and that is the deeper message that Slovak aims to deliver through all his music. He speaks about queerness, inclusion, and transparency with unapologetic music that’s full of strength. His music is like therapy, putting feelings and experiences in perspective.
As humble as he is in his music, Slovak is as real as a person can be. “I am the same person in real life as you see on my social media or hear in my music,” he stated. “I am all about inclusivity; rather than trying to portray myself as this great artist.” Instead of putting up walls, he uses music as a medium to reach and help more people who just need to know that they’re not alone.
Punk Head: I love the imaginative soundscapes and how deeply evocative “Drowning in Fire” is. Can you tell us more about the song?
Dani Slovak: I wrote a part of this song in my head in summer 2021. I used to do this a lot (writing songs only in my head) because I did not have the skill, yet to produce or make the songs I would have in my head, but I would remember all the songs that really meant something special to me and I wanted to finish them one day. This was one of those songs. Literally a morning after a one night stand, I woke up with this melody and words “I wake up drenched in stranger's odour as I'm slowly getting older,” I looked into the mirror and thought that I could no longer recognise a person who I used to be (that's the hidden meaning behind the obvious one of me being a man-whore), immediately followed by the part “I know I’m toxic to myself, I Ain’t no angel, I’ll burn in hell.”
Then, summer 2022, I saw an advert on Soundcloud for a production contest for KIA - the task was to create a song around their synth—production-wise I went all out; I created all the sounds in the actual song, except for the snare and the guitar, with their synth, which quite frankly is not a good synth, but somehow I just followed my inspiration and I made it work. I only had 17 hours to make the whole song and I wasn’t even sure if I had the production skill to create it, but I knew it was time to finally make “Drowning in Fire”—took me about 15 minutes to finish the writing and then I spent the rest of the time on recording, producing and mixing.
I’m not even sure if those people from KIA listened to it, but I thought it would be a perfect song for one of their car commercials, so I submitted it—never heard from them. Then, in December 2022, I remember I had this track I really love, but is quite lacking that professional sparkle, so I messaged Mike Dwyer, with whom I worked before, because I knew this track would be a perfect fit for him - and it was! He just made it sound so much better and all his notes and changes made this track into a song it is today and I am very proud of both of us.
PH: Was there any challenge that you encountered while making the track?
Dani Slovak: I think, the lack of the production skill, as I said before. However, for the past year, I have made it my only priority to “feel good,” no matter what I’m doing. I I make songs that way; I just start making a song with the intention to have a good time whilst doing it, even though I have no idea what I am doing. A lot of times I am producing and I don’t even really know what I am doing, or what I’m pressing, but I just know that I am loving what I’m doing, so I just roll with it. I am so glad I started doing that and now I know there will be no challenge for me as long as I feel good.
PH: What is your creative vision as an artist?
Dani Slovak: I am the same person in real life as you see on my social media or hear in my music. I am all about inclusivity; rather than trying to portray myself as this great artist, someone unapproachable and who thinks he’s better than everybody, I irradiate a clear image of someone you would meet in a dive bar, to whom you could tell your whole life story and would feel safe around. And that’s my vision as an artist, when you see me, or rather hear me, I want you to remember that you got this and that great, beautiful and extraordinary things can come out of anywhere. There is so much beauty and potential in everyone, you just have to give people the benefit of the doubt - in people you’d never say it about, like your sibling, parent, or a best friend. So my creative vision is to connect and make music that one day could make that person on the other side of the world, who has no one, feel like someone out there, someone they’ll probably never meet, completely understand the essence of their being and will always have their back.
PH: Who are your biggest influences?
Dani Slovak: If we’re speaking music influences, it’s definitely Adele.
PH: What is the one thing that you’d like your fans to know about you?
Dani Slovak: I was raised with a mindset to put everyone else before me. It’s kind of self-destructive, when you truly think about it, albeit beautiful, but it also means, I will always have your back. We got this guys! Life is too beautiful not to fight for it. Oh, and also I’ve known I wanted to be a psychiatrist since I was 12, I think.