Feldspar is a band caught between worlds––and continents.
On their upcoming album, Soft Side, the Rome-based band channel hardcore's urgency through the catchy framework of pop, creating a sound inspired equally by Italy's DIY scene and American rock 'n' roll. Out October 9 and produced by Jon Markson (The Story So Far, One Step Closer) and Alan Day (Four Year Strong) in their New Jersey studio, Soft Side finds dueling vocalists Riccardo Samurai and Anna Portman transforming tension into Feldspar's superpower.
Alongside the news of the record comes one of its standout moments: "Heart Is A Ghetto." It's a towering anthem about self-preservation in an overstimulating world,, pairing massive hooks with a restless intensity. Built around the refrain, "it's me who lets you in, not you who take control," the track weaves back-and-forth between vulnerability and defiance.
The band says: "Heart Is A Ghetto is about the walls you put up when the world gets too loud. Between the endless scrolling, the noise, and the people who turn out uglier than they first seemed, your heart becomes this small, overcrowded place you're terrified to let anyone into. It's not pride, it's self-defense. This song lives in that tension: wanting to let someone close, and being sure they'll tear you apart."
Across its ten tracks, Soft Side wrestles with topics like addiction, community, intimacy, family expectations, and finding success on your own terms. Throughout, it searches for meaning amidst the most uncertain of times, and provides less in the way of answers than it does in camaraderie and introspection.
Musically the hardcore influence is obvious but these songs reach farther than ever before, inviting influence from modern punk, power-pop, and 90s alternative.
