Could be the destination not the point of arrival, but the moment in which a new journey begins? It’s the case of Casta, nickname of Alessandro Castagnoli: after the adventure in the indie Italian band Two Hicks One Cityman, the musician from Mantua decided to mix the elements and let himself be carried away by the magic of a gigantic and indecipherable place like a metropolis whose heartbeat cannot leave anyone indifferent. While the band was deciding not to continue their story, a vacation in New York opened up new horizons, providing to Casta the inspiration to restart with a new project. At his side we can always find the drummer Giorgio Caiazzo, with whom he has already played in Two Hicks One Cityman and before that in Quarter Past One. The bassist Andrea Sabatino, also a former Quarter Past One, also participated in the recording sessions.
Casta says that “The project was born in 2019, from my need to give real life to the songs I had written after the split-up of Two Hicks One Cityman, also to create something that was even more personal. I had several sketches of tracks ranging from r’n’b to more ‘melodic’ hip hop, with synth sounds like Dr. Dre and guitars like Tom Misch, also passing through more abstract and melancholic atmospheres in Porches style. I chose to bring Giorgio with me, a friend and drummer with whom I have been sharing my music for years. Together, we gave a definitive structure and sound to the songs”.
So, from New York, the return home coincided with a period of artistic creativity that led Casta to the EP Straight Outta 1991 out on 5 February 2021 on all digital platforms with Goodfellas distribution, recorded by Raffaele Marchetti at the Zeta Factory and whose mastering was curated by Giovanni Bottoglia. This time Alessandro “Casta” Castagnoli plays mostly keyboards instead of the usual guitar, accentuating more and more that soulful vibe that was already present in Ukiyo, the last Two Hicks One Cityman album released in 2019.
Drive, the first single from the EP out on 11 December 2020, represents well Casta’s new path. Drive is a perfect pop song to find yourself while immersed in frenetic metropolitan scenarios, an invitation to travel by car – as in the video directed by Mattia Giaon – or by any other means available. There are synthesizers in evidence, a funky rhythm section, an atmosphere out of time suspended between melancholy and radiance. No matter how far you have to go; what matters is that the musical accompaniment is the right one.
