Sacramento was introduced to me when I had the privilege of writing the premiere for their title track “Lido”. By extension, I didn’t know about Lido as an album until days before it came out. I didn’t know what to expect but was told it was a shoegaze/synth-pop kind of sound and that instantly intrigued me. Hearing the music of this trio (which sometimes functions as a quartet) made me instantly want to hear the whole album.
Sacramento show a lot of promise for a budding group of musicians. Their sound consists strongly of shoegaze elements, with heavily distorted instruments and deeply saturated vocals. The combination of 80s synth elements and some contemporary folk touches play really well with that and makes for what can be a pretty unique sound. The caveat to this comes as much of the album feeling shallow to me, which is a shame given how great the instrumentals and vocal delivery are.
Upon listening to “Lido”, I was instantly hooked and couldn’t wait for the full album to come out. While this entire album is an entertaining listen, most of it didn’t quite charm me in the way the titular track did. I feel there is a level of emotion a lot of the album is devoid of. The heavily distorted guitar melodies, the rich bass tone, and the more ambient uses of the synths create a sultry and lustful tapestry that whispers of sordid affairs in the night. The soft and gentle lulls of singer Stefano Fileti really bring it together, creating a track that I couldn’t help but repeat for days.
In an entirely different emotional wheelhouse, “Why’d You Die” is the only other track on Lido that really captivates me. There is a somber air to the whole thing, with the sober vocals of Fileti coming across almost as more of a personal catharsis than a song delivery. There is a depth to the lyrics that I feel is missing from much of Lido, and that is one of my biggest complaints about the album as a whole.
Lido features great instrumentation throughout all the tracks. The vocal delivery of Fileti isn’t the issue at all. Being that Sacramento is from Sicily and English isn’t their first language, a bit of grace is surely given. However, most of the lyrics are almost elementary and I feel would be better written in a more comfortable language at times. For the most part, I faze out the words on this one and let myself get lost in the dreamy instrumentals.
Sacramento already have a really solid sound for a fresh band. I really like the dynamic this group has created already, and I see the potential for a lot of good music to be made by them. The dreamy and dynamic instruments lend to the tender vocals, and with a little more work I think the follow-up to Lido could garner a lot of international attention. For now, this is a very pleasant album to get the ball rolling.
