Japan Suicide: “Santa Sangre” – Unknown Pleasures Records (14 February 2018)

Alternative rockers Japan Suicide have announced their forthcoming album ‘Santa Sangre’, slated for release in early 2018 via Unknown Pleasures Records. Ahead of this release, they are presenting the lead track ‘Circle’ with an accompanying video, produced and directed by Francesco Brunotti.

Based in the central Italian city of Terni, Japan Suicide is a five-piece comprised of Stefano Bellerba (vocals, guitar), Leonardo Mori (synth), Matteo Luciani (bass), Saverio Paiella (guitar), and Daniele Cruccolini(drums). Formed in 2010, they united over their love of Joy Division, The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, and Depeche Mode.

Their music is also strongly influenced by Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Japan, The Damned, Interpol, Suicide, CSI, CCCP, and Massimo Volume.

“We have finally produced our new album ‘Santa Sangre’, which was inspired by Alejandro Jodorowsky’s movie and Roberto Bolaño’s novel ‘2666’, all the while moving from echoes of British post-punk to a sound replete with more psychedelic and shoegaze textures,” says Stefano Bellerba. “This is a delicate, but necessary step for us: we tried to matchthe quality of our previous album ‘We Die in Such a Place’, while also adding new sounds from our past work in order to achieve a condensed powerful opera and, at the same time, a sound that is capable of achieving different listening levels.”

This album follows up the 2017 single ‘This Be The Verse’, released on the Dark Italia compilation ‘Sparkles in the Dark vol?.?4’, alongside The Soft Moon and many other cutting edge artists.

This is not the band’s first release through Unknown Pleasures Records. 2015 brought ‘We Die In Such a Place’, which stylistically combines the gloomy atmospheres so beloved by Japan Suicide with more aggressive sounds, followed by their 2016 release of the ‘1978’ EP via Darkitalia.

Their 2015 release led to the production of several videos, significant press attention at home, and also a sync licensing deal. While Japan Suicide has performed many gigs across Europe, in May 2018 they will venture to North America for their first Canada/ USA/ Mexico tour.

The ‘Santa Sangre’ album will be released on February 14, 2018 via Unknown Pleasures Records, with a self-released vinyl edition to follow, featuring a slightly different tracklist. Japan Suicide has launched a crowdfunding campaign via MusicRaiser towards the vinyl release, which can be found at https://musicraiser.com/projects/9578.

Recorded, mixed and mastered at Busthard Studios
Artistic production by Giorgio Speranza
Guitar and voice by Stefano Bellerba

Bass and Microbrute on ‘Carcosa’ by Matteo Luciani
Synth, organ and drums programming by Leonardo Mori
Guitar and sampler by Saverio Paiella
Drums by Tommaso Sensidoni
Drums on ‘Rejoice’ by Daniele Cruccolini

Concept and music by Alejandro Jodorowsky

Lyrics by Roberto Bolaño, Dave Eggers, Cormac Mc Carthy, Cesare Pavese, Thomas Ligotti and Nic Pizzolatto (True Detective), and Javier Marias
Lyrics translation Sara Comploi. Artwork by Vash
Photos by Luca Sola http://www.lucasola.com

1  Santa Sangre
2  Circle
3  Dealer
4  El Ritual
5  Blown Away
6  For Every Flaw
7  Fate
8  Rejoice
9  Thus Bad Begins
10 Lost Daughter
11 Carcosa