Stefano Miella’s solo project, Nother, takes his career in an exciting new direction. Having worked for years as a drummer, producer and film composer, Miella has come out of the shadows. His latest single, ‘US feat. Moon Leap’, is a wondrously cinematic take on trip-hop and lo-fi music. The Italian artist’s experience in writing soundtracks for documentaries and films explains the track’s atmospheric sound. Miella has worked with companies like National Geographic, History Channel and Fox, as well as scoring short films like South is Nothing and There Is a Light. However, the song’s driving momentum makes it equally at home on the dancefloor.
The music video for 'US', directed by Marco Santi.
Miella describes ‘US’ as “a way to facing your fears, asking help from someone you love”, labelling it an “anthem for new starts” and a “distorted love song about the end of the world". This a song that should resonate with anyone who has lived through the past two years. However, the track has a more personal meaning too. Created after the loss of a close friend, Nother allowed Miella to immerse himself fully in music.
Despite its electronic sound and pulsating energy, ‘US’ is both soothing and meaningful. It opens with a few short seconds of a cappella. For a moment, all that can be heard is Moon Leap’s whispery contralto. Her light head voice echoes above a pulsing bassline, which glitches and malfunctions like a broken CD. The bassline’s irregular rhythm and Moon Leap’s rough tone evoke the pain expressed in the lyrics; the song conveys a desire to travel back in time to escape one’s problems.
As the bass synth becomes crunchy and distorted, mechanical whirring sounds emerge that mimic wind and sea. The surfacing of a drumbeat adds structure and motion. Yet, the track remains peaceful and assuasive, its warm synth tones contributing to the calming atmosphere.
"A way to facing your fears, asking help from someone you love"
The single constantly builds and recedes. From reverberating snare in the choruses to brief moments of a cappella between verses, ‘US’ is a song full of contrasts. Subtle vocal harmonies add a gentle beauty, whilst a powerful bassline captures the darker themes of the lyrics.
Freed from the constraints of acoustic instruments, Miella is free to explore a range of timbres. The chorus contains swells of piano and a synth with the sound of a steel drum. The track then builds in dynamics. A sudden crescendo is dramatically aborted with a move to acoustic piano and voice.
Airy synth pulses create continuity. However, by scaling down the instrumentation, Miella suggests loneliness and isolation. A bout of syncopation creates anticipation for one final huge chorus. However, the song doesn’t end there.
Instead, the momentum recedes. An instrumental section provides a fitting ending to a song about fear and pain. Distorted synth pads gradually fade away leaving bass pulses and crackling white noise. The slow disappearance of that lingering bassline creates an anticlimactic ending totally in keeping with the song’s meaning.
With the single comes a moving video from director, Marco Santi. Miella’s creation soundtracks the story of two chefs, one of whom teaches the other to dance. It emerges that one chef has lied on a dating site, claiming to be a dancer. Nevertheless, having been imbued with confidence by his colleague, he and his date begin dancing in an empty parking lot. When his date walks away, he barely notices; he is lost in his own world. The video perfectly encapsulates the song’s message of leaving your fears behind. Meanwhile, the director’s cinematic approach complements Miella’s musical style.
‘US’ is currently available on all streaming services.
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