On the cover image of Clever Square, Giacomo D’Attorre – voice, guitars and, in essence, deus ex machina of the Clever Square – hides himself behind the branches of a tree. Yet this album is the one in which the Ravenna artist, active in Bologna for a decade, ‘discovers’ himself the most.
“Yes, this is the record where I discover myself. To put my face on the cover is a courageous act: I immediately understood that I had to choose this photo because I felt free to let myself be ‘seen’ by the listeners. I overcame the disorientation caused by the band’s end – broke up in 2015 – and I got back in the game with other people. It was a nice surprise, first of all for myself“.
The eponymous title of the record is an indication of a restart, but also a declaration of reconquest because D’Attorre has fully regained his love in making music. Clever Square is the third official Clever Square album, notwithstanding the first two self-released albums and the six EPs that complete their discography. From the group foundation, in Ravenna during the summer of 2005, and from the original lo-fi approach, the turning point was represented by the more elaborate Natural Herbal Pills (2013) and Nude Cavalcade (2015).
With the exception of a couple of older tracks, Clever Square is a completely new chapter, seeing D’Attorre joined by guitarist Francesco Lima, bassist Matteo Bordone and drummer Andrea Napolitano. It comprises songs written from 2015 to 2017, largely inspired by US indie rock, a timeless genre marked by a slacker aesthetic that D’Attorre manages to make shine in his own way. There is the unmissable electricity – with the thunderous opener ‘Are Glasses And Contacts Ruining Your Vision?’, the upbeat ‘Denial And The Wizards’, the refreshing ‘Song For Beer Delivery’ and the conclusive ‘Fast Food Lovers’ – and there is the perfect college rock melody, displayed in the first single ‘Cringe’.
“It’s the kind of music I grew up with and I identify with,” says D’Attorre. “For me, it means the possibility of expressing oneself for what one really is. In 2019, I think it’s still important just to play, have something to say and say it in a direct and spontaneous way.”
