According to Italian five-piece Leatherette, punk above all stands for freedom. And so, you’ll hear excursions into experimental pop, alternative rock, post-punk, and jazz on their latest full-length, Ritmo Lento. The album title translates as Slow Rhythm, yet this isn’t tranquil music, especially not on the first half of the record.

The band moves in two distinct directions here: side A bristles with urgency and electric immediacy, side B drifts into more dreamlike, slow-motion spaces, with fuzzy bursts, haunted pauses, restless textures, and unhinged sax escapades as a constant.

The wordplay circles around anxiety, disorientation, fragile relationships, and the search for clarity in a world that keeps slipping out of focus—it’s like a push-and-pull between wanting to escape, wanting to belong, and trying to understand yourself in the blur. As in the first words of the opening song: “I saw things I can’t describe // You saw me see them // Why should I lie to you?” (from Magic Things). Both musically and lyrically, this is about atmosphere, honesty, and open space.

Ritmo Lento—recorded and produced by Leatherette and Andrea Scardovi—is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Bronson Recordings. Featuring: Michele Battaglioli, Francesco Bonora, Jacopo Finelli, Andrea Gerardi, and Marco Jespersen.

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