After spending their entire summer vacation hard at work at the Music Market recording studio in Milan, finally in September of 2011 EVEL released their debut EP Nylon, legno e valvole (Nylon, wood and valves). The sound the band puts forth on the album is an adolescent exploration of their much more mature influences, anything from 70’s rock and roll to Italian singer songwriter music. It’s clear the group is still trying to map out its own musical territory, but the solid ground they stand on for the moment is definitely due to the groove in the guitar and the overwhelming confidence in the lead vocals. A good example is on the track “Biancocenere”, whose opening riff testifies to the band’s 70’s influences—overdriven, slow and groovy, with edgy rock vocals, intellectualized by the thoughtful harmonies in the backing vocals. The title to the EP, a nonsense concoction of materials (nylon, wood, and valves), is vaguely explained in the lyrics to the second track “Invisible”. This standout song, which starts off with a riff reminiscent of a dissonant "Jolene" or "Hotel California" is coupled nicely with the ghostly vocal melody and a story full of magic and fierce independence. EVEL are: Eros on vocals, Luca on guitar, Marco on bass, and Yari on drums. In the midst of touring to promote the EP, the band released another short set of acoustic songs, one of which “Gelida” they’ve even filmed a video for, which you can check out on YouTube. Now that the band has a good set of shows under their belt, they are really starting to gain ground. They just rocked the stage at The Speakeasy in Milan for Emergenza Festival Italia. Check back in with us at Emergenza.net to get news on their semifinal gig. And while you’re waiting for them to hit the stage next, go check out Nylon, legno, e valvole on the EVEL’s Soundcloud. You won’t regret it.

MC