New Noise Magazine speak with NOPE

Hey there! Welcome to “Italian Corner,” New Noise‘s eye on the Italian alternative scene. Between these lines, we will host some of the best Italian bands and keep you guys updated about what’s happening around the Mediterranean Sea. Today, we sat down with Renny and Masu from NOPE, a punk rock band from the Milan area, speaking about their origins and their very first release to date, Done Grieving, out tomorrow via Rad Girlfriend Records, I Buy Records, and Engineer Records. Enjoy!

Let’s start breaking the ice with a cool who/what/how/where/when/why regarding NOPE.

Renny (vocals): Hi New Noise, thanks for having us and for hosting the premiere of our new record! So our band NOPE is me (Renato) on vocals, Masu on guitar, Melo on bass, and Dani on drums. We all come from previous experiences in other bands playing everywhere from Europe to the .US. I still sing and play guitar in I Like Allie; Masu played guitar in both Teenage Gluesniffers and Breakmatt Fastgyver; Melo played bass in Low Derive, and Dani was the drummer in Masu’s old band, Machete.

We’ve known each other for a while, so when Masu decided to bring us together back in 2022, we were psyched. Masu and I definitely wanted to go for something faster and more aggressive than our other projects, and I personally wanted to try to just sing and focus on lyrics and vocal melodies. Melo also wanted a new outlet for the many riffs and song ideas he was sitting on. So, we started working on songs together in Seregno (north of Milan), and the rest is history.

Your first full-length, Done Grieving, is out tomorrow. Can you tell us what we will find on the record, and how did the whole making of the record go?

Renny: I think the record gives a picture of what our band is today. Some song ideas were brought by Melo; other songs were brought by Masu, and we all worked together in arranging them during band practice. I added lyrics either immediately or I had some basic ideas that I then finalized right before (and during) recording. The result is a nice mix of punk rock in all of its forms: fast, aggressive, emotional, and fun.

Once we had 10 songs, we decided to record with Alessandro Caneva at Mobsound Studios. Ale is a veteran of the hardcore scene here in Milan. I had worked with him on tracking the latest I Like Allie record, and I really liked his approach, so I suggested his name to the band. Masu was a fan of his work, and we thought his mixing style would fit with the sound of our songs. The whole experience with Ale was really amazing. I really love recording with him. He gives you confidence while tracking and knows when the take is good so we can move on to the next track. He’s also very unbiased when giving opinions, so his advice was always welcomed when deciding what to keep/cut/change. The mix was exactly what we hoped for: It sounds big and aggressive while maintaining dynamics. At the end of the mixing process he pointed us in the direction of Will Killingsworth at Dead Air Studios to get the record mastered and he definitely gave the songs the additional boost they needed.

In Art Horizons, Renato sings, “You ask if I’m happy, you ask if I’m happy, I only answer that I’m done grieving,” a sentence that seems to suggest passing from a difficult time towards better days. Since this appears to me to be the title track of the album, can we infer that the whole NOPE project came out of a moment in which you left behind something bad?

Masu: I definitely think that’s the mood from which I approached writing the songs, even if the title, Done Grieving, came to mind while recording the record with the tracks practically finished. It wasn’t a direct choice, but I think that the reason I wanted to start this band was because of what you are saying, a kind of unconscious desire to leave behind a difficult period in my life.

Back in 2018, I remember I was seriously considering quitting playing in bands. Then, in the following year, my mom and one of my best friends passed away, COVID hit, a bunch of other personal stuff was also affecting me, so quitting stopped being an option. Long story short, this winter, I found myself on a deserted beach on the other side of the world, and I realized for the first time in years that I felt at peace. This is where the idea for the title of the record resurfaced. I thought about the path and the role each song had and I felt that they were a good representation of what I went through because, whether I wanted it or not, they all have the same subtext in common: as much as a certain situation you’re going through sucks, giving up is not an option.

Renny: Masu came to me at the end of his guitar recording sessions with the name Done Grieving, and I felt that it was important to him. And when friends open up, that has an impact on my own songwriting and acts as a force of inspiration. I still had to record vocals for Art Horizons, which is a song about how life moves so quickly you don’t have time to actually stop to take a breather and think about how you are feeling. It’s also about how hints of sadness or reality checks can be avoided with a little help of the arts.

The end of the first part of the chorus originally was “my only answer is I’m just living now” which you can now find only in the second line and which reflects the general theme of the song. But after speaking to Masu, I thought that changing the end of the first line to “I only answer that I’m done grieving” was a further explication of the theme, so as to mean: time goes by so fast, so let’s get better by getting shit done. I wouldn’t say it’s the title track of the record, but I found it to be a nice way to pay homage to my friend. 

Going through the lyrics, I noticed often a sort of contrast between the words and the music. For example, in “EXTRA!! EXTRA!!,” lyrics like “I’m telling everyone I’m fun. I know that it’s a lie. I’m sure that it’s a lie. I joke while I die inside,” are accompanied by some pretty charged and thrilling music. It would be great if you could explain this kind of bipolarism.

Renny: That’s a great question because this bipolarism is so true in a lot of the lyrics I wrote for the record. I think it happened often because I wrote lyrics on music written by others, so I kind of went with the vibe and energy the song was giving me at that time but also with what was going on in my head when working on the song. With “EXTRA,” the mood and energy of the song kind of lent themselves to this kind of juxtaposition. The first verse really calls for some screaming from a rooftop (hence the title “EXTRA!! EXTRA!!”).

The feeling I wanted to transmit when writing this verse is that of crying for help but with no one to hear you, making you feel helpless. But besides “EXTRA,” the other songs that come to mind that have this contrast are “Art Horizons” and “Future Freaks Forever.” On these, it’s even stronger, as the two songs have a happy vibe musically while I’m actually writing about having a hard time and trying to deal with it. I don’t know why I do this. Maybe I like to present the listener with something unexpected? Or maybe I do it to make a problem I’m writing about feel smaller so as to have a better grasp at dealing with it through the positive energy of the song.

One thing’s for sure: I started writing the lyrics for this record in a dark place, so the sad ones came out pretty much involuntarily when thinking about mistakes and regrets accumulated over the years. At the end of the writing process, however, I started to look at the same experiences from another standpoint, and the mood changed because I realized that I would not be the same person without them. That’s when I wrote the lyrics to “Broken Ghosts,” “The Long Run,” and “Aurora On Pál.” I may be more nostalgic on these, but I sure feel better. 

The album artwork shows Masu on an unidentified remote beach. How did this choice come about, and how is it connected to the whole concept of the record?

Renny: That’s exactly the beach Masu was referring to when you asked about the name of the record! What happened was that while Masu was away to visit his brother in Thailand, he posted this picture as an Instagram story. A few hours later, Melo sends us a draft album cover using the picture. I was surprised with the idea, and I did not like it at first, but the more I looked at it, the more I noticed the expression of total peace on Masu’s face, and I thought it really captured the essence of the record. Also my wife liked it, so that’s always a plus. But yeah, the cover shows Masu having a moment of clarity pretty much summing up the direction where we all wanted to go with the record.

In just a few days you’ll be leaving for a European tour supporting the Dopamines, your now-Rad Girlfriend Records label-mates. How does that make you feel? Can you tell us how this opportunity came about?

Masu: How do I feel? Short answer, I feel extremely happy. They’ve been one of my favourite bands for more than 10 years and, honestly, I had pretty much given up hope on doing something like this with one of the bands I adore. But at a certain point Andrea of I Buy Records (our Italian record label) came out of nowhere with this idea for which I will never stop thanking him. I expect the worst from them, and I expect it to be amazing.

Renny: I’m also very happy. I’ve seen the Dopamines many times, and every time it’s different, but every time it’s the best. They are the real deal. Their sets at the Fest become instant classics, and I find myself sometimes laughing by myself thinking of their insanely funny stage banter. So, to go out on tour with them is still something I can’t believe. I mean, I’ve done some touring over the years, but I did not think I would manage to squeeze such a cool run before turning forty. Thank you, Andrea of I Buy Records, for making this happen.

For a while your setlist has included a cover of Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff,” an excellent choice in my view. Why did you pick this track? Will you still play it in the future?

Masu: We play it because it’s an awesome song! It’s also the best song to blow off some steam when something pisses you off. Sometimes you really just want to stop thinking and break stuff.

Renny: I love “Significant Other.” And I love to rap when I can. If Masu would have played “Nookie” at the practice space, we would probably be covering that one. So yeah, when he played the “Break Stuff” riff at practice, I already knew most of the words, so it came about very quickly. It’s fun to play, so I’m guessing that it will still be on the setlist for a bit. 

 You’re all veterans of the Italian alternative scene; what can you tell us of today’s scene with respect to that in which you started taking your first steps?

Masu: Honestly, I like it much more now. At the age of (almost) 40, you realize that people are willing to do anything to keep busy and avoid going to therapy but, probably because punk rock is becoming more and more a niche, there’s nevertheless fewer people coming to shows. Those that still come out are those that would show up 20 years ago, that are still really passionate about this kind of music and that need to listen to it to feel good. When punk rock was still fashionable, there was a much higher percentage of posers and people that would be at a show only to ask for something in return. So now we are fewer but much better.

Renny: I also like it much more now. I feel I understand it more, and I can get more involved either by putting on a show, writing an article for a zine, interviewing a band. That sort of stuff was way out of my reach when I was younger. It’s also cool to see that in certain subgenres there are new generations coming to shows. The hardcore, screamo, and oi! scenes here are thriving. The DIY festivals are also living a special moment now putting together rad line-ups across genres.

Thank you so much for the time you have given us. As a final question could you tell us what’s next for NOPE?

Renny: Thank you so much for these amazing questions. It’s a dream to be on one of our favourite punk publications. Well, we have a couple of festival dates in September that still need to be announced and we are planning our release show after that in our hometown, Milan. Then we want to play as many shows as possible in support of our new record (of course) and maybe start thinking and working on the next one? Let’s see. Cheers!

Exclusive premiere album stream for New Noise below.

https://newnoisemagazine.com/interviews/italian-corner-one-milan-punk-rockers-nope/