(Make Me A) TRISTE© Mixtape Episode 203: Adult Matters

Adult Matters (©simmcat)

Adult Matters is the solo project of Luigi Bussotti. 90’s guitars, honest and brutal lyrics. Their music is the secret diary of a queer non-binary person. Luigi grew up with 90’s indie rock, Elliott Smith, and American singer-songwriters, influences that deeply shaped their artistic journey and gave them the opportunity to express their emotions without filters. They started writing from a very young age to escape from small-town reality and later taught themself how to play guitar: “I learned to play guitar by watching live shows of my favorite bands on KEXP.” In 2016, they recorded their first album, Endings, in a home studio. This album, which they toured across Italy with a power trio, allowed them to carve out a small space for themself in the Italian bedroom-pop scene. In 2021, they released Flare Up, their second album, a lofi work that they performed non-stop on tour for two years, with over 50 shows across Italy. Their third album, A Modern Witch was released on February 21, 2025, via Costello’s Records and Wires Records.

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Heavenly – Portland Town (Single)

Everybody knows and loves (and if they don’t, it’s thier loss) Heavenly. They formed in 1989 out of the ashes of short-lived punk pop combo Talulah Gosh. Original members Amelia Fletcher, Peter Momtchiloff, Rob Pursey and Mathew Fletcher were joined later by Cathy Rogers, and the full Heavenly sound – a combination of an energetic punkish rhythm section, sweet, wandering lead guitar lines and full-on girl group harmonies – was consolidated. The band recorded for cult label Sarah Records in the UK and, by the time of their second album, for K Records in the US. Members of the indiepop scene in the UK and the burgeoning Riot Grrrl scene in the US, Heavenly created a unique blend of infectious melody and sharp-edged lyrics. The band’s career was cut tragically short when drummer Mathew took his own life in 1996. In 2023 the band started the process of re-releasing their four LPs and have played a handful of live shows, with drummer Ian Button completing the line-up.  Concerts in London, Paris and across the US have sold out quickly, with original Heavenly fans clamouring to see a band that they still love. Along the way, Heavenly’s music has also found a new, much younger audience, with P.U.N.K. Girl and Me And My Madiness gaining many millions of streams and Tiktok ‘likes’. These days, Amelia, Rob and Ian currently also play in Brian Bilston and The Catenary Wires (here the review for their Birling Gap record) and Swansea Sound. Peter plays in Would-Be-Goods and Tufthunter.
Portland Town is Heavenly’s first single in 29 years!

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(Make Me A) TRISTE© Mixtape Episode 202: Norabelle

Norabelle

Hailing from Dundalk, Ireland, Norabelle consists of Ken Clarke (Guitar & Vocals), Shane O’Hanrahan (Guitar, Vocals, and Piano), Stefano Rossi (Bass), and Stephen Ludlow (Drums). The band draws influence from artists such as Sun Kil Moon, Bonnie Prince Billy, and Sufjan Stevens. Norabelle’s debut album, Wren, was out in 2011 and earned widespread acclaim for its poetic storytelling and elegant arrangements. The Sunday Business Post described it as featuring “achingly sweet harmonies, overlaying acoustic guitars, cello and the lightest percussion, but it’s their poetic storytelling that sets their songs apart from the throng.” On the 11th April 2025, after a fourteen years hiatus, the band released their second album entitled The Mountain Blinks. Each track on The Mountain Blinks invites listeners into deeply personal narratives. From the poignant reflection on memory and mourning in She’s Not Here to the tender love song Warm Blood, the album carries a raw emotional weight.

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TRISTE© Radio per Indi(e)pendenze 5

“Sulla parete una scaletta dei Tiromancino, i Jam periodo In The City, Pete e Carl dei Libs, Moretti il batterista degli Strokes che sbevazza con gli amici, i Beatles che reggono il cartello “All You Need Is Love” in quattro lingue diverse con George Harrison, dei quattro il mio preferito, e sull’armadio a sinistra la fila disordinata dei cd. Sulla parete vicino al letto un’insolita coppia: Il Laureato con Dustin Hoffman sedotto dalla signora Robinson e McEnroe nel celebre gesto del servizio.
Luigi Pavone – Babies

Rinnovare la presenza di TRISTE© a Indi(e)pendenze, la trasmissione che si occupa di musica alternativa dal lontano 2015 sulle frequenze di Radio Casotto e di NEU Radio, da tempo curata dal caro amico e collaboratore Matteo Maioli, che in ogni trasmissione si apre a ospiti, collaborazioni, première e interviste, è sempre una grande gioia. Quando poi c’è la possibilità di raccontare di musica e di letteratura, la gioia raddoppia. Qualche settimana fa, grazie a Matteo e Francesco Giordani, abbiamo colto al volo questa opportunità e abbiamo parlato ancora una volta di un romanzo importante (per noi, ma non solo), scandendo le nostre chiacchiere con da una tracklist che ha alternato brani ispirati dal libro al meglio della musica indipendente dei primi mesi dell’anno in corso.

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