Gram.
How Can I Say?

THE REVIEW

Gram. are a hidden gem of the Roman microcosm born around Rome's Sinister Noise, a famous alternative venue that, in its ten years of existence, has been the flagbearer of truly independent and alternative music in the capital.

The band is the latest incarnation of Dianetica, a group that became known for a self-titled EP, and over the years has experienced numerous changes and defections, maintaining intact only the duo Adriano Bartoccini, already and still drummer for Electric SuperFuzz and Beesus, and Matteo Marini, vocals and guitar, also known for being the bassist of Killer Boogie and Beesus. It is precisely this pairing that takes the lion’s share, leveraging a musical understanding that, aided by the presence of Riccardo Alexander (bass) and Giacomo Occhiuzzo (guitar), manages to express itself with indescribable violence on stage.

The album, released by New Sonic Records, a small Roman label, guilty of hosting first-rate bands like HowBeatsWhy, Io Monade Stanca, and Suzanne's Silver, moves within the broad range of '90s alternative rock influences. "How Can I Say?" plays with the likes of Melvins and Motorpsycho, Dinosaur jr. and the Breeders, underpinned by a grungesque soul that reaches its peak in the vibrant "Team Work Deficit," another successful anthem on alienation.

A record that consciously exudes a drugged-up suburb feel, even in the tracks with a bucolic flavor, as if the album's cohesiveness is more to be found on an emotional/artistic level than a compositional one. In this debut, Gram. manage to be powerful, restless, and ironic, as rarely happens in the Italian alternative scene which too often tends to take itself tediously seriously.