Super Elastic Bubble Plastic
Chances

"Chances", the third episode brought to life by the trio from Mantua, is the breakthrough album. This time, they choose the path of self-production and indulge in the luxury of greater artistic freedom. They definitively revamp, for better or worse, the formula they've used since their debut, "The Swindler", and which they had already tried to renew within "Small Rooms". They abandon the trowel and take up the brush and palette to paint their very noisy, albeit monochromatic, ancient journey.

However, strong shades will not be missing. "Someone Nice to Kiss", a raw attack with stop'n'go at one hundred miles per hour with incendiary bass, will serve as the ideal connecting link, even though their usual touch'n'goian stroke is vividly present in the extremely fast "Mister P" and "Fake Queen". The fury, this time impotent, of "Travis" and "New Personalities", veiled with a sinister aura, will smooth these still angular traits before they, with the slow and anguished "Lover's Heart", a poignant unfolding of acoustic arpeggios that weaves through the disarming melancholy of the chorus, and "Young Shark", an introspective journey with a final explosion of tears, will definitely open up to feelings. "Chances" marks the long-awaited maturity for the Super Elastic Bubble Plastic not only because the leader (?) Gionata Mirai has grown a beard and seems like a seasoned singer in "What Else", but also because, among other things, they will even venture into an American ballad like "A Tale from the Bottom" to close the album: a song to be listened to at sunset, with southern brass and guitars carpeting the horizon.

The best episode will remain, within the tradition ("My Emotional Friend" and "Selfmade Popsong" ring a bell?) "Like the Sea", a blend of rock in pop sauce, which will leave everyone with the usual question. Why, despite the carefree bass lines, the airy crescendo, and all those typical hit ingredients, does a song like this not climb the charts? Why do the Super Elastic Bubble Plastic, an indie group by origin but national-popular by vocation and appearance, not get radio play and are not on the lips of teenagers?

To posterity the arduous verdict. In the meantime, they've set out, albeit at the cost of some bland episodes, on the right path to maturity. Not recommended for those who don't know what to do with the latter.

Three and a half stars.