Last week, we experienced Iuliano‘s iconic video for Uranus or Mars – an astral adventure that had us hypnotized! Today, we wanted to review his EP, De-Algorithm.
The record opens with textured plucked guitar layers that have a mysterious edge as Iuliano sings reassuringly “Don’t be so impatient, it’ll be worked out soon…”
On The Radio is a multi-dimensional opening track that expands and contracts with bold and emotive instrumentation that fills our souls, fused with Iuliano‘s brand of cerebral lyricism.
“Now that you’re computerizable, I know you can’t let it go…” sings Iuliano in this high concept commentary on digital structures in society, programmable emotions and the human condition.
The EP comes with five unique visuals telling the multi-dimensional story of a protagonist who bears a striking resemblance to Iuliano himself! The video sees the astral birth of Iuliano as the ground below him splits open and a dystopian city comes to life before his very eyes.
We are in love with Iuliano‘s delivery and broad singing range, the nuanced commentary within the track and the wisdom that the rising artist from Italy is sharing, in cohesive alignment with emotive production.
The second track on the EP is How Did It Go, which kicks off with distant vocals and an alternative rock landscape, as the song evolves, our emotions are heightened as Iuliano delivers an incredible vocal performance. We love the boundless drum work on How Did It Go and the astral elements to Iuliano‘s vocal design.
The instrumental segment of the song is mind-blowing and we love depths that this opus takes us to. The video continues with Iuliano facing himself, dealing with existential sadness and pain as he cries, seeking something, but all we see is a glass pane mirroring the protagonist.
Next up is Uranus or Mars, which you can watch the video for again below. We adore Iuliano‘s vocal range and tone and how it fuses seamlessly with the instrumentation as he sings, “Ohh, c’mon just take me home, just take me where I don’t belong, where I can be alone”.
At the end of the video we see our protagonist get struck by lightening… and are dying to know what happens next.
In The Last Time, we see Iuliano in outer space as he looks down on the planet he just ascended from, shedding tears that extend downward to a group of people being cute and happy. Now he must deal with his demons as he sings “it’s always a new human learning”.
As Iuliano learns his lessons, he uses his tears as a bee-line cord to abseil down to the planet, but all he remembers is his torture and pain, so our hero retreats to a cave.
The final song is called Stay Where You are and opens with enigmatic pulsing electronica, as Iuliano sings, “don’t move…”. We love the bright and futuristic production, which flows in perfect harmony with the visual as our protagonist enters the heart of the cave to finally meet, himself. Iuliano sings “if there could be a place to stay to keep you away from harm, if there would be a time for peace, respect and no deceases”.
The message of the EP is one of understanding and self-realization, the astral context feels more profound and real to a conscious mind and we love Iuliano’s intention with the compositions.
An orchestral palette of complex harmonies and spectral electronica juxtapose, yet amplify the 2D illustrative visual landscape that the artist has created. The concept serving a “sardonic critique and near parody of the new digital world order ruled by algorithms and the plight of analog humans who must navigate life under the cold calculus of artificial reason”.
“I started this project as a testament,” says Iuliano. “If something happened to me tomorrow, I would want to have something to represent me. All of the music that I have done up until this point has been just a compromise.”
Many of the tracks on De-Algorithm feature guitar as it is the instrument he uses to write his songs, starting with a concept which then expands sometimes on purpose and sometimes by happy accident.
“Accidents are a very big deal in music, but you have to be able to hear them,” he reveals. “Some people might take them as a mistake, but most of them will lead you, one way or another, to an interesting place. Normally, these are the places that I like to wander.”
Speaking on the body of work as a whole, he says “It’s the sound that I’ve heard my whole life, together in one place. Everybody has a limit – sometimes the wrong side of the limit keeps you from making music, but if you can go around it, it becomes a point of power. You can express yourself through your limits. It makes you different from other artists and it becomes your point of strength”.
We have added On The Radio to our New Music Spotlight playlist along with Uranus or Mars!