Rating: ****
Italian singer-songwriter Iuliano looks like Moby but owes more to Damien Rice when it comes to music.
He's got a new single called "The Hidden Root" and I'm pretty stoked to check it out. I saw the video a few days ago and saw that it already had over 400,000 views. That's a lot. So people are definitely noticing him.
But how does it sound? I'm gonna tell you. I'm gonna tell you so hard.
Listen to "The Hidden Root" on Soundcloud here:
It jumps right into it. He's got a little bit of Paulo Nutini in him. He's got a unique vocal delivery that I could see turning some people off but it doesn't bother me. The chorus is catchy. Lyrically it's darker than you'd think by the melody. I like the almost chant-y post-chorus harmonies a lot. As far as the verses go, it's moody and mysterious, but the chorus is really the selling point here. Outro is kinda mesmerizing.
I didn't love it, but it's not bad either. Solid single from an EP that promises to be solid as well. I give it a moderate recommendation.