Prim – Photo by Elisa Hassert

There is a leitmotif that connects the past and the future, and that connects together also the songs by Prim, nickname and project-with-band of the Italian songwriter Irene Pignatti, announcing the debut album when monday comes, out on CD, vinyl and digital on January 14th, 2022 via We Were Never Being Boring Collective.

According to Prim, “The album was written in this pandemic period, which deprived us of physical and social contacts, leaving us waiting for a better future. And the leitmotif of the songs is precisely the wait: waiting for someone, waiting for something, waiting for a moment. The title of the album, taken from the song of the same title, is symbolic and underlines the fact that, after Sunday, there will always be another week and accordingly another day, another tomorrow. The songs alternate past experiences, which are left behind, and experiences just undertaken, after which there is an unknown destiny“.

But the wait is over for Prim, now at the turning point of their first album, with an old photo found in the basement chosen as cover image, to reaffirm the nice short circuit between yesterday and today. The band from Modena is completed by Matteo Mugoni, Davide Severi and Diego Davolio, who met in 2019 with the purpose of achieve the songs written by Pignatti, author of almost all the music and of all the lyrics. when monday comes follows the EP Before You Leave of 2020. Pignatti says that “The creative process starts with me. I write the words and the melodies, and I prepare a first version of the song with guitar or ukulele. The other guys contribute then to the song with their ideas. All four of us discuss the direction of every song, looking for the sounds that best suit its mood“.

The new nine songs blend alt-folk intimacy and indie pop vividness, the warmth of the acoustic chords and cheeky synth lines, analog tradition and modern sound. The band has let itself go to experimentation as never before, touching various musical genres, and at the same time has worked for a long time on the arrangements. From the shyness of their guitar-and-voice genesis, the songs present currently a precious yet solid texture, through which you can enjoy many details. With a strong personality despite her young age, and passionate about music since childhood, Pignatti drew inspiration from eclectic names such as Clairo, Daughter, Fenne Lily, Maggie Rogers, Taylor Swift and The 1975. Her crystalline voice is often intertwined in choirs that instead look both at Tom Odell and at the timeless lesson of the Beatles. The lyrics are just as crystal clear, and reflect personal experiences and feelings with great immediacy: phobias and loneliness, faith and skepticism, friendship and romantic relationships. “The lyrics are a collection of stories that make up my daily life. For me, it is important that they are able to convey a direct message“.

What’s your story as a band? 

Everything started when I decided to record my old songs because I always wanted to release an EP. Since I could only play guitar and ukulele, I asked my ex band members if they wanted to be involved in my new project, Prim. My band and I finally made the arrangements for five of my songs, which are now in my EP “Before You Leave“.

For the album “when monday comes” each member has been more involved in the creative process, but I still write the lyrics of each song.

What inspired this last release?

Speaking about the music, we were inspired by some of The 1975’s songs. Something about that 80s/90s mood really get us.

The text of the song collects some of my ‘abandoned’ lyrics. The ‘city lights’, from which the song takes its title, brings us back to the scenery of London, where I spent a couple of summers. On two different occasions I was in Soho with some friends and both nights turned out to be unforgettable, and it is exactly the ‘not wanting something beautiful to end’ that characterizes this song – “the night won’t last for long but I don’t wanna see the dawn”.

Do you get inspired by other art forms?

I’m not really into poetry but I find it really useful for rhymes and verses. Poets always choose the right word that fits into that particular space, and I think it is very important in songs too. Sometimes it takes me so long to find the right word to put into a song because I look for the perfect fit. I have studied literature at school and I loved poets like Dylan Thomas or William Wordsworth, whose poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” inspired me for writing my song Thanatophobia.

Any funny anecdotes from the time you were recording or writing this?

The first demo of “citylights” sounded totally different from the last version, it was actually a different song and it was super slow. We made around 20 demos to get to the final version. I also had to go back to the studio during the summer because I hated the first vocal track that I recorded in spring.

What’s your favorite place or environment to write?

I usually write in my bedroom or in my bathroom because I like to sit on the floor and be isolated from everyone, these are my “safe spaces”, I know that I won’t be bothered by anything and anyone. Sometimes I also write in my car because when I’m driving alone I usually sing and it happens that some new melodies come to my mind.

What’s a record that shaped your creativity?

My creativity is shaped by a lot of albums but mostly “I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It” by The 1975 is the one that inspired me the most for this record. I also found very inspiring the new Taylor Swift’s albums “Folklore” and “Evermore”, which were released during the writing process of my album.

Who is an artist or band you look up to today?

The 1975 are and have always been my biggest inspiration for everything I do, they are the perfect example of people that know what music is and they are perfectly capable of mixing different styles, and what comes out is still them. 

I also like to explore new underground artists like me, and take inspiration from them. 

What excites you the most about what you do?

We have just started working in this field, but the beauty of it is to get in touch with artists, musicians and people working in the music industry, and who share our same passion. 

Every day I learn something new, and I perceive it as an educational experience. 

Another thing I really like is playing live and taking my songs, my stories and my music along with me for someone to listen.

What is your view on genres and music styles since you mix a lot of them in your music?

I don’t want my songs to be a cliché of one particular genre of music, I don’t want them to sound alike, I want them to be personal and reflect my emotions and who I am. This is basically why I chose to mix music styles in my album.

What does music and art mean to you?

I’ve been writing songs since I was 14 and this is the only way I can properly express my feelings, my emotions and who I am. I was born in a family of musicians and so I grew up with music, it’s always been part of my life and I can never separate from it. 

How would you describe your act in one word?

Authentic.