Diplomatics are a Venice-based collective comprised of Daniel Carollo (vocals), Emanuele Garziera: guitar, Matteo Marsetti (guitar), Niccolò Sabin: drums, Andrea Lucato (bass), Andrea Dalla Via (piano). They have been active since 2013, and have released an EP and two albums (Don’t Be Scared, Here Are The Diplomatics, in 2014, and I Lost My Soul In This Town, in 2017).

Now they are back with the intense and powerfully built new track “Nevah“. According to the press release, the track deals with an extraterrestrial who landed on Earth and, despite being fascinated by the beauty of our planet, is disappointed by what he sees around him: sad, lonely people, dissatisfied in a world in disarray. Listen below and check our talk with the band about the new track, the artwork and the current situation.

Today we introduce the new track called “Nevah”. According to the press release, the misanthropy of the lyrics represents the band’s state of mind in this unique historical period, a self-examination of conscience. Can you explain the concept?

It is clear to us that this pandemic has shown old cracks in our society: poor people increasingly poor, the issue of class struggles, the problem of  global warming often linked to intensive animal farming and unregulated markets, lonely people left even more alone during the lockdown, unfit politicians, etc.… the list is long. All this is more evident than ever and therefore we put it down in the lyrics of “Nevah”, whose point of view is that of an alien who, arriving on Earth, loves it at the beginning, but then ends up feeling what is described above too.

The artwork was created by Raissa Pardini. Can you tell us more about this collaboration?

Raissa is Italian, she was part of the independent music scene in our country before emigrating to the UK. We already knew her before we collaborated. We love her works, her creativity and her being always up to date on what is happening musically. We thought that her style was perfect for “Nevah”, rock’n’roll but also post-punk and wave… very British.

You are from Venice. I’m very interested to the connection between the places we live over the years, the territorial geography of our roots and the art. How do you feel these theme connected to your music, your way to think music? What are your favorite places which inspired the most?

In our opinion, our origins are fundamental for the music that we compose; the roots are never lost. Venice, like the rest of north east Italy, has a great role in our music, in fact our latest album of 2017 is called “I Lost My Soul In This Town”, a clear reference to our places. Venice is beautiful but its surroundings not very much. North east Italy is made of factories, people work most of their time, money is the most important thing for many and it is also very gray… kind of like Manchester maybe? It is not like southern Italy. This is sometimes alienating and we like to talk about it in our songs. We do love and take inspiration from the places we see on tour and during concerts. There’s always something new to discover and nice people to meet.

How are you living these strange times and what are the main concerns as a band?

We are sad. The culture and music sector are having a hard time, so it is not easy to think about the future. We think many bands will stop, as many clubs and venues are already doing. This is why we decided to completely dedicate ourselves to writing new songs, trying to work day by day without thinking too much. We focus on music and creativity, trying to bring some hope to other musicians as well. We must all hold on and create a better future, it is the only way.

Ritual question. Have you seen or heard anything good recently?

Sure. It might sound obvious but the IDLES have brought punk and a certain attitude back to relevance. Together with them also Fontaines D.C., Shame, The Orielles, Sault, Duds, Yellow Days. Then we really like Death Valley Girls, Surfbort, Public Practice and Khruangbin from the USA. We like these bands because in their sound we find what we like: punk, wave, noise but also soul and funk music and a great attitude.