The Italian band with the French name is back! On Friday we got a new notification from the Italian duo Les Longs Adieux that they had a new single so I hot footed it to Bandcamp to buy their latest offering for a review today. I had really loved their “Vertigo” album from earlier this year and have listened to it often; reluctant to remove it from my personal device after my review was written. At the time, I couldn’t wait to see what they ended up doing next, and as it transpires, I didn’t have to wait long. The new single was “La Luna” and Federica Garenna and Frank Marrelli are now joined by Johnny Rainbow [ex Skull Daze] on bass guitar. Always a smart move for a duo wanting to move to the next level and fatten their sound.

The band had just committed this one to hard drive during the summer with Rainbow adding his four-string fretwork earlier this month. The band stated that they were listening to music from the golden age of Post-Punk, particularly The Damned’s sublime “Phantasmagoria,” so as an ardent admirer of that disc, let’s dive in, shall we?

Les Longs Adieux: La Luna – DL – IT [2024]

1. La Luna 4:36

A deceptively gentle intro with sustained synths set against open guitar chords quickly got down to gritty business when the drums jacked up the tempo and the song roared out of the starting blocks. The deep bassthrob of Rainbow was already adding new animal power to the band’s vibe. So when Ms. Garenna began singing with the passionate, fortissimo delivery we’ve come to expect from just hearing her last album, it rocked with a potent force.

Frank Marrelli’s guitars were tightly focused as well; eschewing atmosphere for sheer dynamic punch. Federica’s synths played minor key counterpoint to the drive of the music; sparring with Marrelli as he injected an almost Rockabilly energy into the middle eight, which raised the stakes for the song’s climax. Listen here.

The band were definitely into the Rock zone for this one. Taking a step away from the dark, crystalline beauty of their last album. Did it evince a legitimate influence from the likes of “Phantasmagoria?” Yes, this single could have been bedfellows with material like “Street Of Dreams” with singer Frederica being worlds apart from Dave Vanian, of course! But I’d be lying if I didn’t also detect another complementary vibe at work here…namely that of Billy Idol. Though I much prefer the singer here!

We’ll see if this is a one-off or the first taste of a new Les Longs Adieux album to come. But for now if you want dark, driving Rock music with a Post-Punk sting you would do well to grab this one to help heat up those cold winter nights we’re starting to get in the Northern Hemisphere. The DL is name your price but I urge you to be generous and I’m already regretting not just paying the €17.84 for all 9 releases by the band in their Bandcamp store. This band can be habit forming. DJ, hit that button!

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