Italian trio, Artichokes, have truly impressed us with their song “Flashbulbs” – the title track from their new 6-track album. Whilst the band can be described with broad terms such as ‘psychedelic’, ‘post-rock’ or ‘shoegaze’, whatever label you feel best describes them and their music, one thing is for certain: this song is a true music gem.

Being completely instrumental in nature, Artichokes use delicious basslines to create a textured foundation over which reverb-laden guitar lines deliver infectious, yet creative, melodies to entice the listener whilst the drums carefully vary the ebb and flow of energy as the band skilfully uses both dynamics and tempo to paint a sonic masterpiece that clocks in at five minutes twenty-seven, though never feels laboured, instead feeling like an atmospheric musical journey on which the listener is taken.

On a final note, we feel it worth highlighting the way in which, throughout this song, the instruments tones are adjusted to fit the mood, becoming more abrasive at times before melting back into more mellow phases. This may not seem like a particularly noteworthy aspect of the song at first, however, like any great composition, the more repeat listens that you give, the more you discover each time – as such, we feel the need to draw attention to this as it demonstrates Artichokes’ understanding of recording techniques, as well as their own marvellous musicianship. Like a fine wine, this piece will age very well.

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