By Susanna Borio

Italian post-punk band Leatherette put out their first album ‘Fiesta’ back in October. Pushing boundaries through a fusion of vigorous sounds, intense lyrics, along with the unique addition of a saxophone player, they have a sound like no other in the genre.

In their own words, Leatherette is just “five shy guys who sometimes get off the stage and punch people,” which transpires in their music. Their distorted tones echo a feeling of urgency like they have something to say and need to say it as loud as possible, hoping that the voices in their heads will finally be heard.

Always striving for self-expression, the five members mould their creative space to break from the routine and express themselves in a natural and cathartic way.

“We’re very experimental as musicians,” says the guitarist, Andrea. “Often in bands, people feel limited, but we are very free. We are strong because we are five: five heads, five pairs of shoulders, five sets of muscles.”

The record is brimming with intense, emphatic noise. Having bonded over diverse influences, from midwestern emo to rap and electronic music, they created a vibrant sound that differs from their post-punk peers like King Krule and Squid, or even 90’s predecessors like Hoover and Unwound.

Throughout the album, the guitar-driven sounds are mixed with jazz and distorted rock influences to produce tracks like ‘Thin Ice’ and ‘So Long’ that will make you want to get right into the middle of the mosh pit and finally satisfy the frustration and anger of your “inner teenager”.

While this is their first album, ‘Fiesta’ was actually planned before COVID. Their time inside was spent rewriting and perfecting the pieces, bringing more complexity and depth to the project.

The title references the strange ritual of the bullfights in Pamplona. As explained by the band members: “metaphorically, violence flows on both sides, but in a feastful way. It’s similar to a concert, really – you’re expressing violent things, in a physical way.”

You can listen to ‘Fiesta’ on Spotify and follow the band on Instagram.

• Instagram
• Spotify

Find them touring across Europe and the UK this march.