Taking a step away from her usual format of club focused four-four productions that have found her appear on labels like Mobilee Records, SoUS Music and Bar 25 Music, Italian-born musician Francesca Lombardo opens a completely new chapter with the release of her debut long player this month. Arriving on Cooltempo and Echolette, the 11-track record is impossible to exactly pigeon hole, but for the most part sits somewhere between downtempo progressive and pop-
influenced orchestral, with a ton of live performance and vocal work from Lombardo herself, the album is impressively void of any collaborative artist features. Francesca said “a mixture of all the styles I love, it reflects every aspect of my sound, telling my story through each lyric and every instrument or piece of equipment I’ve used. It represents me fully, 100% me.” It doesn’t take long to appreciate the work that’s gone into this one, from the soft strings and romantic toplines, to the playful percussion and big basslines, she has crafted a uniquely harmonising set of sounds.
Where to start:
‘Time Machine’ – Stretchy melodies and massive basslines
‘Charlie’s Tapes’ – Some of the most intriguing percussion rhythms on the record
‘Smiling Skies’ – The most driving track, with quirky percussion and softened chords
Previous from Francesca Lombardo:
Terra EP (2017, Echoe)
Spondylus EP (2018, SoUS Music)
If you like this then check out:
Art Department – Natural Selection LP (2014, No. 19 Music)
Lee Foss – Alchemy LP (2017, Emerald City)
Francesca Lombardo’s Life Of Leaf LP is out now on Cooltempo / Echolette / Armada Music.