Nuovo Testamento are not here to blend into the background—they’re here to demand your attention under a disco ball. The Los Angeles-based trio, made up of Chelsey Crowley (vocals), Giacomo Zatti (drums), and Andrea Mantione (synth), have been steadily building a reputation as one of the most exciting forces in modern dark disco. Their music sits at the crossroads of Italo nostalgia and crystalline synth-pop, borrowing the euphoria of ‘80s dance floors and filtering it through a lens of sharp, contemporary production.
Today, they level up with their brand-new Trouble EP, a collection that feels like both a culmination of their past work and a daring step into uncharted territory. It’s bold, unflinching, and—as the band themselves put it—“curious and willing to believe in a future.”
Across five tracks, Trouble acts like a manifesto for the restless. Lead singles “Picture Perfect” and “Dream On” are immediate standouts—gleaming synth-pop gems that channel freestyle and alternative influences with effortless style. There’s a hypnotic nostalgia at play here, but the sound never collapses into pastiche. With Maurizio Baggio (Boy Harsher, The Soft Moon) at the production helm, the EP breathes with the urgency of the present, a balance of icy textures and warm, kinetic grooves designed for both headphones and the club.
“This record doesn’t hide,” the band shares. “Trouble speaks to the shifting plates and faults within us and dares to want something different, something playful, something true.”
And true it is. Tracks like “On The Edge” and “Soldier For Love” push at the boundaries of their sonic identity, infusing vulnerability into the beat-driven ecstasy. There’s a sense of expansion—Nuovo Testamento aren’t just writing songs to dance to, they’re writing songs to live inside of.
Of course, this isn’t a band content to stay locked in the studio. Fresh off the release, they’re bringing their intoxicating live show back to the stage. Fans can catch them at New York’s Good Room and Tucson’s Rialto Theatre this summer, before joining forces with post-punk shapeshifters Sextile in September. And this fall, they’ll hit the road again with hardcore disruptors Scowl and Sunami, proving that their glittering synth world can hold its own against even the loudest walls of sound.
Nuovo Testamento thrive in the in-between—between past and present, shadow and light, pop and underground. With Trouble, they’ve carved out a space that’s entirely their own: euphoric, defiant, and undeniably danceable.
So lace up your boots, hit the floor, and don’t be surprised when you’re still humming these hooks tomorrow.
Your new EP Trouble feels like a fearless evolution — more curious, more vulnerable, more bold. What was shifting in your lives or minds that led you toward this new emotional terrain?
After Love Lines, we had the time and space to explore more freely, experimenting with new sounds, new machines, and new approaches to songwriting. We didn’t feel the need to reinvent ourselves, just to follow our curiosity and allow the music to evolve organically, and the result still feels very true to who we are. Being an artist often feels intensely vulnerable but, the more people show you that what you’re doing resonates with them, the easier and more exciting it becomes to explore and to be more open. That was certainly true with Trouble.
From Exposure to New Earth to Love Lines, you’ve been steadily carving your space in the dark-pop canon — but Trouble sounds like you’ve kicked the door open. Was there a track on the new record that made you feel that shift in real time?
We’ve never tried to box ourselves into a specific genre but, as we explored new sounds on Trouble, we definitely found ourselves drawn to certain elements that feel closer to the ’90s dance pop sound. Picture Perfect is a great example of that shift. When we wrote it, we immediately felt like we were tapping into something new but still very us.
“Picture Perfect” and “Dream On” are total serotonin hits — nods to freestyle and ‘90s synth-pop, but with this sharp, modern clarity. What eras or artists were you channeling when shaping the sound of this EP?
We’re big fans of a lot of producers from the ’80s and ’90s. There’s definitely a love for the textures and energy of that era, but the influences on this EP were really wide-ranging. We were also inspired by more modern artists and production styles, always trying to blend those references in a way that still felt true to what we’ve done in the past. It was important for us to keep that continuity while also allowing the sound to evolve and feel fresh.
You’ve toured with Molchat Doma and The Soft Moon — two very distinct energies. What’s your favorite kind of crowd to play for, and where in the world has surprised you most onstage?
Nothing beats playing for your own crowd. We get to see a really mixed audience at our shows – goths, metalheads and the like singing along right next to people that probably wouldn’t claim a subgenre. The hardcore scene has been incredible to us, we just played Sound & Fury and that was a really special show, they gave us the proper hardcore treatment. One special thing about playing with Molchat Doma was that there were a lot of kids who were there for their first show, often with their parents, which was a different experience for us and very sweet.
There’s a sleek nostalgia running through your music — but never in a derivative way. What’s the secret to making retro sounds feel alive and urgent instead of just…vintage cosplay?
Thank you! That means a lot. The key to everything is just that it’s very organic. Of course, we have always worshipped 80s and 90s sounds and artists – that’s evident. But what comes out in our songs is just a natural distillation of everything we love. We never sit down with the intention of writing something that sounds like x and don’t want to be seen as a revival band, so we try not to be too precious about adhering to certain eras. If you have something original and genuine to express, your music will never feel like cosplay. It’s about using familiar sounds as a language, not a costume.
Dance floors have always been a space of freedom and transformation — do you write for that energy, or does it just naturally emerge from the dynamic between you three?
It’s very much what naturally happens when the three of us come together and let things flow. Growing up in Italy, we were always surrounded by pop and dance music. It was part of the atmosphere, part of our everyday lives. So in a way, that energy just lives within us and finds its way into what we create, whether or not we consciously aim for it.
From Drab Majesty to Curses to Scowl — your remix collabs have been across-the-board cool. Who would be a total dream collab next (living or dead, no rules)?
For us, a collaboration doesn’t have to be rooted in a similar sound or scene. Working with someone whose style is completely different from ours can be the most exciting and challenging, and those unexpected pairings often spark ideas you’d never reach on your own – that’s what makes the process so rewarding. But dream collab? Probably Brian Eno, or Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.
The quote about Trouble — “willing to believe in a future” — feels poignant. What does believing in a future look like to each of you right now? Personally, politically, sonically…
Believing in a future is all we have. We’re living in a time of radical, rapid changes that often terrify and disgust us. Holding onto the idea that things can improve – personally, politically, and in the way we connect through music – is how we remain grounded enough to keep pushing forward. In dark times, that belief becomes a form of resistance and, for us, it shapes the way we create and imagine what’s next. It helps us keep going even when things feel impossible.
There’s a lot of darkness in your sound, but it always feels like it’s reaching for joy, for connection. Is that tension — between the brooding and the ecstatic — something you consciously lean into?
We certainly welcome that tension, but that’s because it’s something that happens naturally and it’s more honest and resonant to allow it to be that way. We don’t write songs with the intention of having them walk that line, but we also don’t expend energy shaving dimensions and sincerity off of our songs – I’m not sure why we would do that. They’re just reflections of us and our inner lives where, like for most people, both light and dark exist.
What does 2025 look like for Nuovo Testamento? More Trouble, more touring, or something even weirder on the horizon?
Weird would be great 🙂 Mostly we’re gearing up to tour for the rest of the year – we haven’t been on the road as much as normal while working on Trouble and are about to make up for that. We’ve got supporting dates with Sextile, Sunami and Scowl coming up this fall, and a run with support from Nuxx immediately after. There’s more in the works but nothing else we can share just yet!
