Does the complexity that defines us as individuals already have a sacred function, or do we need to connect the cells we are made of to something more? This is what the new and third album by Le Pietre dei Giganti titled Pastorale asks itself and the listener. The album is out today April 10th, 2026 on digital and double vinyl via Overdub Recordings, with digital distribution by Virgin/Ingrooves and international distribution by Code7.
Lorenzo Marsili (vocals, guitars), Francesco Utel (guitars, synths and samples, vocals, percussion), Niccolò Pizzamano (bass) and Francesco Nucci (drums, percussion) draw inspiration from the interaction between humans and nature, from the idea of the universe as a physical and chemical system. This inspiration melds perfectly with the cover artwork by Morgan Sorensen (See Machine), where the subject and space are represented according to a rational vision. The color red and the circle above it trigger an emotional response. Our brains follow the rules of the world around us, but culturally we associate this emotional reaction with a depth that goes beyond matter.
Compared to Veti e Culti, the previous album from 2022 focused on esoteric psychedelia, Pastorale‘s stoner rock style is enriched with world music influences: heavy guitars and dark atmospheres are driven by grooves born from experimentation with Latin and Caribbean polyrhythms. So, the rhythms maintain a tribal imprint, while acquiring an ethnic-popular nuance, accentuated by the use of percussion, handclappings, and multi-voiced melodies.
First single Zinco is the heart of the album: it’s about a person who wakes up and begins performing familiar, everyday tasks like a mantra; in this constant repetition, while driving his car, he wonders why he’s doing all this. Sulla Sequoia talks about the passage of time, referring to the image of the witch who travels between past and present, and is supported by an animated video made by director Adriano Razzi.
Le Pietre dei Giganti take another step forward in terms of personality, producing an elaborate and surprising work, recorded, mixed and mastered by Leonardo Magnolfi at El-Sop Recording Studio, with the occasional addition of jazzy saxophone, double bass, and piano. The tracklist is divided into nine songs and two semi-instrumental interludes.
Pastorale‘s journey begins with cold electronic sounds that reverberate in space, recalling the moment in which the lowering of the temperature of the cosmos allows the union of ions and electrons in the birth of the first atom. The themes approached by the band include submission and rebellion of peoples (the focus track Santo Fulmine, inspired by the title of the song Vortex Surfer by Motorpsycho), and the meaning behind suffering and loss (the metaphysical title track).
