2B3
Fuori Da Cosa (EP)

The 2b3 are a group based between Novara and Milan making their debut on the punk rock scene (with influences pointing towards the melodic hardcore of the late '90s and the emo(core?) of recent years) with an EP titled "Fuori da Cosa."

On the first listen of this EP, recorded and mixed with more than decent results, the sensation is that the first track (Nonsense) conveys something more compared to the others. The English lyrics make the listening experience very smooth, and verses and chorus are well blended with an appealing melodic line. The guitars mix with successful palm-muting and octaves, and the mid-song variation, starting with a bass solo, breaks the rhythm nicely. The lyrics are quite simple yet ingenious in ironically representing how often our local bands abuse English to cleverly use phrases without much meaning (hence, I believe, the title). Perhaps for this reason, the remaining 3 tracks are in Italian. As I was saying, at the end of the first listen, the impulse would be to return to Nonsense and put the other songs aside, but that would be a grave mistake. The Italian lyrics are quite complex, and the recurring theme is that of freedom or the (vain?) tension towards its achievement. "Dipingimi libero" is emblematic in this sense ("dipingimi libero/capace di credere di non volare/ma libero/di essere libero"), as it describes an inner void and the desire to escape the routine of everyday life, from our "externally induced" echoes of autonomy and freedom, to seek something truer and more personal. "Anche Qualcosa che non c'è" (...and the chase is endless/towards something/something that isn't there) and "Dietro a maschere", perhaps the most mature lyrics, explain well this anxiety to find one's own space, without however trying to build false masks where one can pretend to have succeeded in being outside, outside of society, outside of patterns, outside of the everyday...

The final message perceived is a sort of rational and reasoned pessimism, which explains how hypocritical it is to believe oneself above or simply outside the masses but how essential it is to keep running continuously not to get imprisoned. Accompanying all this is fast and thoughtful music, interspersed with pauses for bass or guitar solos, with sounds and rhythms that strongly recall the Californian scene marked by Offspring, Pennywise, and the Italian one of SunEatsHours.

The conclusion is that these guys have started on a truly uphill path, where emerging amongst thousands of punk bands is truly challenging, but with some improvements and greater awareness in seeking a personal sound, they will have already surpassed a large part of the "classic" little bands.