The keen reader will gladly remember Italian-American electropop duo I’m Not a Blonde from a feature we published earlier this year, celebrating ‘To Fall’ as “exuding a sacred, luxurious aural ethos and a gripping sense of lyrical urgency”. It’s a statement we can stand behind, one that mirrors the project’s hard-hitting, cinematic production style and its meaningful thematic imagery. ‘11 (The Art of Being a Couple)’ is the perfect evidence of that, a monumental album packed with eleven evocative and hypnotic pieces.
In it, we rejoice in the ever-present tension between mainstream-leaning influences and more leftfield elements, a sign of the fine sonic balance on which I’m Not a Blonde is built. Chiara Castello and Camilla Benedini guide a listening experience that’s sometimes dreamy, sometimes haunting, and always ethereal. Vocals are often mangled into elegant and celestial harmonies, adding to the otherworldly allure that oozes from the album.
Delving deeper into the album’s title and its extensive lyrical ethos, I’m Not a Blonde explains: “We often think of love as a sum, 1+1=2, a fusion that erases boundaries. In ‘11’ that sum becomes a symbol: 1+1=11, two complete individuals who choose every day to walk side by side. Not to merge, but to support each other, to mirror each other without losing shape.” We appreciate the extensive and observant songwriting the Italian-American duo offers, and we are confident it will resonate with a wide audience.
Recommended! ‘11 (The Art of Being a Couple)’ is out now via INRI Records: