So how has your latest album/EP gone so far with fans then?
I think most of our fans loved it, but that’s because I’m aware most of them are into much more experimental music than we’ll ever make, and ended up enjoying the more radical and dramatic sound this record ended up having. I think those who didn’t like it simply ignored it without complaining much.
Tell us something about the release no one knows?
In the middle of the song Roma, which is for sure the weirdest on the album, you can hear the recording a train of the Rome underground (departing from Termini station on line B) buried in the mix. The sound of its brakes being released seems almost like a crash cymbal hit. The recording goes on and by the end of the song, when all the instruments have faded out, you can still hear for a while the soundscape of the station with a PA announcement saying that a train to Laurentina is due to arrive in a few minutes.
If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?
There’s an Italian band I discovered while we were recording For Ever called Nero Di Marte, they’re a revered experimental or post-metal band that ended up inspiring our album, even if most of it had already been recorded by then. They seem really self-conscious and talented musicians: probably I’m far from being interesting and original enough as a player to be able to add something relevant to their music, but at least I’d be honoured to meet them one day.
How has your latest release been received?
The song Flares, which is the shortest and catchiest one on the album and the first single to be released, has luckily gathered many views, positive comments and streams, and has made its way into many playlists. So far the reviews have been mixed: some praised the album for its experimental attitude, its faithfulness to the themes it addresses and its drastic shifts between genres and dynamics, some dismissed it as being too weird, unpolished, depressing, not catchy enough and without a clear genre identity. I have to say they’re probably right: this is a really self-centred album that we made for ourselves: being appreciated by everyone hasn’t been a priority at all. I don’t think I’d like to do something similar to For Ever again: it’s the result of a terrible period in my life, and I hope not to live something comparable again.
Can you tell us about the meaning behind the track To My Friends And Me?
To My Friends And Me is the last track on the new album, but was the first one to be written, and ended up being revised many times as time went by. It was also the first song I wrote lyrics for: at the time the band was on the verge of dissolving, but I couldn’t have predicted it. I was aware those who were the closest people to me at the time were going through some really bad issues both mentally and in their private lives, and I was too.
I came up with lyrics for the first verse during a walk alone in the woods: the verses are about feeling hopelessly oppressed by a frustrating life, painful memories and time running away, which is what we were feeling. The choruses and the ending are instead an invocation to keep resisting even if nothing makes sense and we seem doomed to live the rest of our time suffering, because we’re not alone, we could support each other and find together a reason to overcome our fears, get over our mental inhibitions and face whatever makes our lives bad.
This wasn’t an abstract or hypothetical statement: it was directly referred to us specifically, in that particular moment, it was what I really wanted to say to them and myself. Nonetheless, shortly after writing those lines, everything went abruptly really bad for us. One of the people I was addressing probably never read them, and I may never see her again. My mental health (and Simone’s as well) got really worse after those events, and what happened afterwards is what the rest of the album tells about. Still we did put this song last, as it gives some hope after an hour of pure despair.
What venue are you most looking forward to playing the most, and why?
There’s a cool venue called Bronson in Ravenna, one hour away from where we live: many cool bands have performed there during the last years, I hope it will re-open at the end of the pandemic and that they’ll book us one day!
What else can we expect from Arya in 2020?
Not much, unfortunately: 2020 is almost over and, as of now, the ongoing restrictions due to the pandemic are making really difficult for us even to see each other, as I’m studying and working in Rome, many hours away from my family and the rest of the band. We’ll work behind the scenes to promote our new album for a while, and we’re slowly making some new music: at this point I think we won’t be able to perform live until next year, and it’s not really up to us to decide.