EXCLUSIVE! Brothers In Law INTV!

You do not hear many Britrock influenced bands coming from Italy, but, like most of the world, the British rock and roll sound has had a huge influence among generations around the world. Even Italian soccer legend Alessandro Del Piero has said to be a massive Oasis fan. Yet, the sound and style may have influenced many, but over decades hardly any band outside of the UK or US has tried to represent that sound...until now. Italy's Brothers In Law hail from a tiny town called Pesaro on the Adriatic Sea and take influence from Creation Records bands like House of Love, Felt, Super Furry Animals, and even early Oasis. Earlier this year the band came to the US for SXSW and their very first tour to support their debut, Hard Times for Dreamers. We spoke to drummer Andrea about playing SXSW, music in Italy, and if these guys really are brothers-in-law. Take a look at our interview below:

You were in America for SXSW, how was that experience?

Playing at SXSW was totally unexpected for us, considering that our first full length was released last January. It was a great and unforgettable experience, and a great chance for our band to be known abroad.  

Does Italy have anything similar to SXSW?

Unfortunately not, there are a bunch of music festival but nothing as cool as SXSW.

Coming to New York and then going to Texas, do you think you have a better understanding of America seeing two different cities? Or is it hard to really get a grasp of?

This is our first time in the United States but even if we haven't seen much we can say we have kind of understood the peculiarity of the underground music scene in the USA. We definitely love it.

The sound of the band seems to be a take on late 80’s Creation Records-era British Cold Wave. Hailing from a seaside town, how does that sound influence you?

We were actually told we sound like 80's creation records and for us is a big compliment even if is not what we were looking for since each of us have different musical influences.

Italian seaside towns have a certain loneliness to them in the off-season, Fellini made so many films about this. Do you find that sadness to be true? Is that a factor in your sound?

It's possible but it's not something you plan. Apparently a lot of bands in the city are characterized by lonesomeness and melancholic sounds. 

Where does the name of the band come from?

The name of the band is a "true story". Jack and Nico are "actually" brothers in law.

The name of your new record is pretty powerful, “Hard Times for Dreamers,” does this signify any economical stance for today’s youth in Italy?

The name of the album was chosen to express youth's frustration when they realize that they can't always make their dreams come true "you can't always get what you want" someone says, and this is the Italy's trend in the last 5 years.

What was it like making “Hard Times for Dreamers?”

Band members personal experiences were brought and have influenced the lyrics of the album. Songs came up very easily and spontaneously.

Being a band from Italy, are you nervous about playing in front of American audiences?

No, we are very excited about it, and we're interested in seeing how American audience would react.

Not many Italian bands have ever really broken into the American indie scene; do you believe you will be the first?

That would be a dream!

Earlier this year we interviewed A Classic Education, another Italian band, they had so much praise for you, how do you respond to that?

ACE are our close friends and one of our favorite bands in Italy. We are glad they mentioned us.