We previously featured Gianfranco Pescetti for his high-octane and intricate single, Stopless, so when we heard that the visionary artist was back with Heidi, we were curious to say the least, and couldn’t wait to immerse ourselves in his universe once again.
Drawing us in with a meditative synthscape with textured percussion and astral frequencies, expanding into an immersive grunge-meets-synthpop energy, Gianfranco Pescetti sings, “Last night your painting fell off my wall, dripping colours down the hall, while I played the bass you gave to me, strings grew vines, sprouted leaves…”
We immediately connect with the metaphorical energy and Gianfranco’s captivating poetic prowess. As for the message of the song, Heidi is about gratitude, loss, and the people who believe in us before we learn to believe in ourselves. We love the high emotional quotient and the concept which feels like a reflection on the way certain people leave an imprint on our lives long after they’re gone.
The story behind Heidi makes the track all the more moving. Gianfranco met Heidi Vincent in the early 1990s when they played together in a San Francisco band called Borgia. A cellist, architect and visual artist, Heidi shared his interest in painting, architecture and design, and encouraged him to trust his own songwriting during his transition from professional ballet into music.
After she moved to New York, they eventually lost touch. Years later, when Gianfranco visited the city hoping to find her, he learned that she had passed away. Writing this song became a way of expressing the gratitude he had never fully voiced, and he decided to record the bass part on the 1977 Fender Precision Bass Heidi had given him.
We learn that Heidi serves as the lead single from Gianfranco Pescetti’s forthcoming third album, this side of the door, due November 6, 2026. The record follows Love Is Rain and the instrumental electronic album Daystar Nocturnal, returning to a more intimate songwriting approach.
We could imagine Heidi landing a sync placement in character-driven films such as Past Lives, Aftersun, The Tree of Life, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, A Ghost Story and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. On television, its introspective atmosphere could work beautifully in The Leftovers, This Is Us, Normal People, Six Feet Under or Station Eleven.
Needless to say, we continue to be in awe of what Gianfranco Pescetti creates, and have added Heidi to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream the artist’s wider discography, including In Reverb, and Breathe.