A summer of love between two people who don’t speak the same language. This is International Lovers, the new single by Pearz, the project by multi-instrumentalist Francesco Perini, in collaboration with Kuntessa (i.e. Caterina Vannucci, from the band Celluloid Jam and known also as Pristine Babe), both Florentines living in London. The single is out today February 3rd, 2023 via Annibale Records, on 45 vinyl record and on all digital platforms.
International Lovers was born from a bass line influenced by both disco music and Gang Of Four’s funky post-punk. Pearz says about the genesis of the single and the pop feeling with Kuntessa: “Usually I don’t set myself any limits. This time I moved between soul, Rhodes sounds and acoustic drums. From there, I added flutes, synths and a final guitar in homage to Alessandro Alessandroni. In general, it is a tribute to Italian music of the late 70s/early 80s, so the ‘summer’ lyrics by Kuntessa, mix of English and Italian, go very well with the sound. When I wrote the song, I immediately noticed that it had a classic song-form structure compared to my other instrumental compositions and I thought that a voice following a verse and a chorus could work. I have known Kuntessa for many years, since we shared the same stages respectively with Hacienda and Celluloid Jam. In London we have become more friends than we were in Florence. She pulled off a great vocal melody’“.
The single is supported by a video created by the acclaimed graphic designer Raissa Pardini, at work for artists such as IDLES, The Orielles and Mystery Jets. As B side of International Lovers, we find the instrumental and danceable Boulevard, driven by Jamie Allen’s sax.
Pearz moved to London in 2013 following his brit rock band The Hacienda’s international success and he soon became an 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 and M!R!M (with whom he also collaborated on their respective latest studio records), in addition to Suki Waterhouse, Go!Zilla, Dead Coast, Elius Inferno & The Magic Octagram, Desert Ships, and Gil De Ray.
All these experiences are conveyed in the surprising debut EP Nocturnal of 2020, a physical and psychological journey through the night, and in the previous singles Social Amnesia, Saudade and Blue Winter, dating back to the last two years. Gifted of great compositional technique, Pearz has absorbed and reworked the influence of different genres, from the typical groove of Italian soundtracks to Balearic music, from nu jazz to soul and electroop. Pearz is currently on tour with the first dates of the new year between the UK, Italy and the rest of Europe.
