Pearz is the enlightening and evocative solo project of Italian-born, London-based multi-instrumentalist Francesco Perini. Blending Italian cinematic nostalgia with contemporary sophisticated jams and French touch coolness, Pearz plays the imaginary soundtrack to his night-time feelings.
Hailing from Florence, the hotbed of Italian poetry and arts, Francesco moved to London in 2013 following his brit rock band The Hacienda’s European success. Once in the Big Smoke, Francesco soon became a sought-after and estimated session and touring musician, a path that brought him to tour not only the UK but the whole of Europe with acts such as Tess Parks, M!R!M, Go!Zilla, Suki Waterhouse, Dead Coast, Elius Inferno & The Magic Octagram, Desert Ships, and Gil De Ray.
These years of erratic and sleepless music nights culminated in the surprising debut EP Nocturnal, out today on all digital platforms via Annibale Records. Pearz composed the ideal soundtrack of his nocturnal sensations by mixing the groove of Italian soundtracks with nu jazz influences and elegant hip hop beats. Pearz therefore demonstrates that he has matured great songwriting technique and an original artistic vision. Nocturnal, conceived as a physical and psychological journey through the night, is described as “the soundtrack of those unpredictable nights that begin energetically and last until dawn, when the exhausted body collapses into bed“.
To anticipate the EP, Pearz has also released a 45s with the two singles extracted so far, Caffè Corretto and At All Hours. Like the drop of liqueur that blends with the aroma of Arabica making caffè coretto a specialty as refined as it is nostalgic, Pearz combines different genres with exquisite taste. Caffè Corretto shows the soulful rhythms of the Stone Throw Records productions (J Dilla, Madlib), combined with the dynamism of the soundtracks by Piero Umiliani and Piero Piccioni, passing through the French electropop of Air and Sébastien Tellier. With the caustic charm of a Serge Gainsbourg who wanders the streets of Hackney at night, Pearz is inspired by the multiculturalism of the current London jazz scene. Caffè Corretto sounds like an ideal jam between Baxter Dury and Kamaal Williams. Rooted in the Balearic sound that generated along the Mediterranea Sea route between the Emilia Romagna riviera of Italy and Ibiza, At All Hours lays evocative synths and mellow yet tight bass lines that bring to one’s mind the Miami-Tokyo axis made of smooth, soulful disco and dreamlike Japanese City pop. With At All Hours, Pearz scores the soundtrack to the feeling of saudade and melancholia that characterizes the end of summer as much as the end of a night out; walking home to the first lights of the day, still anchored to the memories of the past but already projected to those of tomorrow.
The Futuristic advertising-inspired artwork was made by the acclaimed Glasgow-based designer Raissa Pardini, who also curated the graphics for the videos of Caffè Corretto and At All Hours, that backens the song’s cinematic feeling by shooting a Vespa ride throughout Florence, from the suburbs to the centre. Just like in a scooter ride, Pearz’s music guides the listener throughout a journey of feelings and cinematic stills, bridging the Italian music heritage with contemporary British sounds.
