La Neve
Hometown: Providence, RI
Album: History Solved, out now via Self-Release
Everyone says they want something unfiltered and raw. We all verbalize our cravings for earnest art. However, so many of us (myself included) will seek out that which we know will give us a certain feeling. We like to have our expectations met. History Solved is the opposite of that, in the best way possible.
La Neve’s latest EP is a sonic exploration of the in-between spaces in life and art; it’s about identifying with something that is not of typical binaries or corporatized cultural norms. Vocalist and guitarist Joey La Neve DeFrancesco (also of Downtown Boys and What Cheer? Brigade) has created a project that feels purposefully liminal. This is music that is messy and raw while also being wonderfully catchy and vibrant. It’s dance punk for those who don’t want the type of dance major-label house labels are selling, and it’s punk for those who scoff at Machine Gun Kelly’s arena appeal.
La Neve also wisely leans into DeFrancesco’s labor organizer day-job for inspiration, as this is a record for the people, not the power.
DeFrancesco shares more on the act’s inspiration:
“I’ve written the La Neve material as a punk musician who loves dance, disco, digital hardcore, and so on, so when I write in those styles it becomes a sludge of everything. It’s not a purposeful decision to be all over the place; it’s just the only thing I know how to do. On this record, Karna Ray’s drumming and Marco Buccelli’s co-production really helped ramp up those elements. What I love about disco, drag, house, and rave culture is exactly what has been sanitized and erased by the corporate monopolies that control our cultural production. I don’t think I set out to reclaim anything, but I did want to see a messy drag performer who makes dance and punk music, so that’s what I made.”
Watch the video for “A Precious Gem” here:
For more from La Neve, find them on Instagram and Bandcamp.
Photo courtesy of Alycia Kravitz
