We make a few musical connections and find ourselves tracking back to Tat Tvam Asi from Bludeepa.

Release Date: available now

Label: Self-released

Format: digital

And so it turns out to be the fourth release from the Italians, which comes to our attention as a result of the Saro Cosentino connection – we enjoyed his The Road To Now at the end of 2022. Saro Cosentino, once again, is alongside the band in the artistic supervision – mixing and mastering amongst the duties.

Tat Tvam Asi, in Hinduism, refers to an expression of the relation between the individual and the Absolute and with that in mind, Bludeepa are maybe setting up an expectation of some spiritual element. Iron & Flesh is an intriguing opening cut. From a deceptive and vaguely puzzling intro, a sudden alarm sees the track kick into gear with a synth pulse. The electronic bounce is a theme that reappears in a denser from in The Billowing Song, a piece that hangs onto some sure fire Eighties retro that might owe a few debts to some of the synth pioneers of the era.

However, Bludeepa aren’t content to stand still, the range of atmospheres and moods continues as an ever evolving journey. The higher pitches in some of the vocal parts recall Sigur Ros and art rock/new age contemporaries; relaxed and dreamy, although the child’s voice in She-Pollen might be ever so unsettling, particularly with the burst of activity as it fades. Add a few bars of refined and considered piano and we’re in into ‘hold your breath’ fragility.

Not that all of Tat Tvam Asi is on the contemplative side. Balance comes with the electronic Space Rock and busy percussion in Spiritual Summer and the Indie vibe is picked up with the snaking groove in Broken. The latter shifts from sassy minimalism to intelligently decorated in much the same way that Solitude Standing also showcases the skill of creating contrast and dynamism. the innocuous opening takes a sharper turn towards a powerful but controlled intensity that’s perhaps a frentic as Bludeepa get. Controlled frenzy at work as is Ferociously, where said ferocity comes initially the from of a brooding sense of foreboding and aching string part before the grand waves follow a neo-classical path. Very Post Rock in the dynamic shift and languid pace.

The unusual feature of brass sounds in Rome Is Burning adds to the variety within one arrangement. A distant quivering voice hovers around the close of a track that traverses classical again while the overarching impression of less is more is reinforced. The ambition to merge the genres and cut across the corners of the unexpected by now is a familiar plan. Bringing things to a close, the nylon acoustic guitar at the start of This Is How Love Falls On Us might recall Elbow’s Great Expectations and it’s a typically low key and considered closing piece. Manchester’s finest might well be on the tip of the musical tongue in the language of Tat Tvam Asi and that’s a compliment indeed for an album that’s cleverly pieced together and demands intelligent appraisal.

Here’s Spiritual Summer – the video won the first prize as best animation videoclip at the Euro Video Song Festival in Slovakia.

Formed in 1999 by the band’s frontman Danilo Pieroni, Bludeepa has become a quartet which includes, together with Pieroni on vocals and computer programming, Danilo Mintrone on piano, synths and computer programming, Emiliano Chiocciolini on drums and guitars and Enrico De Angelis on bass, backing vocals and guitars.

Bludeepa online: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Youtube

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