Italian act Of The Muses, a solo-project of Cristina Rombi, will release a new album, Underheavens— Of Blood, Ghosts And Saltwater, via My Kingdom Music on 25 April. Underheavens— Of Blood, Ghosts And Saltwater is Of The Muses' sophomore endeavor after the great success of the debut Senhal.
The new album marks Cristina Rombi's departure from the raw romanticism of her early black metal-infused material in favour of a sound that intensifies the dynamic, straightforward elements in her music, now permeated by soulful pop, punchy alt rock, and subtle gothic undercurrents.
Here, Cristina gets candid about her experience with navigating the personal and collective trauma of the AIDS crisis, which led to the premature loss of her father in the 90s. Tapping into her love of 90s-defining styles such as britpop, trip-hop, and grunge, Of The Muses crafted a visceral, haunting meditation on death and the afterlife in the form of an immersive, bittersweet record.
The album is recommended if you like The Gathering, Mercury Rev, The 3rd And The Mortal, Garbage, Manic Street Preachers, Lush, and Emma Ruth Rundle. The first single and lyric video, "The In-Between Was A Fever Dream", was recently released for you to check out. Link