Sweetness and noise, light and dark, soul and body. KICK are back with the new album Light Figures, out on March 16th, 2022 via Anomic Records (Germany), Dischi Sotterranei (Italy) and Sour Grapes (United Kingdom), on all digital platforms, on vinyl and cassette.
KICK are Chiara Amalia Bernardini (vocals, bass) and Nicola Mora (guitars, electric piano, synths, samplers), from Brescia. Their sound combines rough elements and others more dreamy in a sound that could ideally be defined “sweet noise“, a style on their own melting the noise with the softness of the atmosphere, without any limits of genre.
The production of Light Figures, composed between 2019 and 2020, was curated together with Marco Fasolo (Jennifer Gentle, I Hate My Village), known for the international reach of his works.
Light Figures shows “deviant” melodies and often obsessive rhythms, representing a natural change of direction compared to what was previously released by the Italian duo (the debut album Mothers of 2016 and the EP Post-Truth of 2018): the sound become less electronic and at the same time more analogue, minimal and heavy. It’s an approach that reflects a heterogeneous background, able to move from the hypnosis of trip hop to the New York no-wave, up to stoner and desert rock.
Tell us about the genesis of your project. How did you get to where you are now?
Kick was born in 2013, mainly out of curiosity. We both were playing in other bands at the time, but we thought it could be fun to experiment together musically. We had similar music taste and artistic views, which made it feel right from the very beginning. We began writing songs right away, which later came into our first, homonymous ep. We never really promoted it, though, as it was made mostly for ourselves and a narrow circle of friends and family. Since we enjoyed working together, we decided to take things more seriously and started writing our first album “Mothers”, which was released in 2016. After that, we released our second ep “Post-Truth” in 2018. Our second album, “Light Figures”, will be out on March, 16th, 2022.
What should a song or piece of art communicate in your opinion?
We believe that art should offer an alternative to the dominant, mainstream view. It should challenge your way of thinking and your beliefs, make you consider things from other perspectives and points of view.
Who were your top 3 artists last year?
Chiara: Recently, I have been introduced to this amazing band called “Bar Italia”. From the first listening, they blew my mind completely. It’s a mixture of all the things I love, honestly. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find anything about them online, apart from their music. I don’t even know where they are from, and if and when they will be touring. That’s all so mysterious, I love it! Two other artists that I repeatedly listened to last year were Yves Tumor and Sixto Rodriguez.
Nicola: I agree with Chiara on Bar Italia; they’re so good! I would also add Piero Piccioni and Beak>.
What do you do when you’re feeling uninspired?
Well, our creative process is made of two subsequent phases, that repeat themselves cyclically: there is a time in which we are very receptive to all kinds of stimuli, such as music, cinema, art, conversations, travels… ad then there is a creative phase, in which all the things that had impressed us before become (more or less consciously) material for songs and lyrics.
During the receptive phase we could feel uninspired. But we know it’s a phase, and that inspiration is going to come back at some point. Hopefully!
What are your 2022 projects and goals?
Play, play, play! After 2 years of absence from the stages due to the pandemic, we are planning on playing as much as we can. Besides touring Italy, we are eager to play abroad, to make our music known outside of our country. Moreover, we are looking forward to writing a new album. We are already working on some drafts, and we are curious to see how they will evolve.
Favorite movie or TV show?
Chiara: My favorite Tv series ever is the American version of “The Office”. No doubt about that. I also like watching true crime series. I was probably a criminologist in a past life… As regards movies, well, it’s difficult to decide. Both Nicola and I are huge movie fans, and we watch as many as we can. I’d say “Apocalypse Now” by F.F. Coppola and “A Clockwork Orange” by S. Kubrick.
Nicola: my favorite Tv series is “This is England”. My favorite movie? I’ll tell you two: “Lost in Translation” and “The Virgin Suicides” by Sofia Coppola.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
At the very end of last year, we released the single “Rubberlover”, that investigates both the mental and physical dynamics of dominance and submission between two consenting adults. Specifically, we were interested in portraying how the desire for submission can coexist with the need for tenderness in the same individual.
Now, we are about to release a new single, the dreamy “Viole”. This is a special one, as it’s our first song in Italian. It will be accompanied by a video, which was written, filmed, edited, and post-produced by us.
Both singles are taken from our upcoming new album “Light Figures”, which was produced by us, together with Marco Fasolo (Jennifer Gentle, I Hate My Village).
What is something you would want to change in the music and entertainment industry?
Well, we know it sounds utopian, but we’d like the quality of the music to be the most important thing, rather than the quantity of streamings.
Can you outline your creative process?
Usually, one of us brings an idea (it could be a riff, a harmonic progression, a vocal part…) in the studio, and then we start working on it together, by focusing on the structure and the sound we want it to have.
Who inspires your style and aesthetics?
Chiara: This is a good question. I like fashion, but I do not follow it that much. Actually, I only buy clothes in 2 occasions: either when I need them, or when I feel “a connection” with them. I would define my style as rather elegant, but comfortable. I love vintage clothes, especially from the 70s. I’ve always been wearing a lot of black items, but recently I have started experimenting with colors. These days, I’ve been wearing lots of green, purple, and white items. For instance, at the present moment I’m wearing green from head to toes, which I perceive as invigorating and fresh. I think it also looks pretty nice, but who knows, maybe I look just like a little tree.
Nicola: I wear a lot of black, too. Chiara’s style is more classy, I like urban clothes more. If I had to define my style, I would use the adjectives “urban” and “dark”.
What is the achievement or moment in your career you are the most proud of and why?
Our biggest achievement was collaborating with Scott Reeder (former bass player of Kyuss) in our song “Setting Tina”, which was the first single extracted from our new album. Kyuss are one of our all-time favorite bands. We have been listening to them a lot while growing up. Having Scott write and play the bass line of that song was really an honor and a pleasure. Even though we couldn’t meet in person due to the pandemic, we had the occasion of getting to know him online, and we were really impressed by how amazing a person he is. Scott is a great musician who has inspired so many people, and still he is unbelievably nice, humble, and down-to-earth.
What do you think an artist should sing about nowadays?
We think that artists should have the freedom to sing about what they prefer. Even though we love musicians who can combine beautiful and socially relevant lyrics with great music, we don’t think that combination is a necessary condition.
Do you have any regrets?
Not artistically.
What is some piece of advice you would give to yourself right now?
Definitely to stay curious and never give up on your passion. Keep believing in what you do. This will determine the quality of your work over time. And looking back, there is nothing better than knowing you did something you really believed in.
