Barbagianni (ft. Amy Naessens) – Queen Of Verona (2025)
No strangers to the music industry, synth-pop duo Barbagianni have turned heads across and beyond their Irish borders, featuring in notable publications, receiving airtime on international radio stations, and sharing their powerful performance skills on tours with Lucy McWilliams, Lydia Ford, and Theo Fitzgibbon. So, we’re pretty late to the party, aren’t we? The fact is that we’re here now and prepared to enjoy the offerings of Barbagianni. Join us, won’t you?
Following the well-received singles, ‘Punch Drunk’ and ‘Out Of My Head’, Karl McCrone (guitar and production) and Matthew Keating (bass and production) take another step into 2025 with ‘Queen Of Verona’. While their previous material leans toward the sounds of an electronic pop/synth-pop pair, ‘Queen Of Verona’ showcases the diversity of Barbagianni. Instead of being a strong electronic-based tune, flutters of old-school funk weave with soul in a psychedelic pop tone as the chaser of disco kicks up like a pulsating heartbeat.
Joined by long-time friend and mixing engineer, Gary O’Reilly, the arrangement delicately blends a bold bass, soaring guitar, with a keyboard and some percussive elements peeping from the background. A track ready for the dancefloor, while simultaneously holding the tranquillity of the song you play when lying back and staring at the stars, ‘Queen Of Verona’ has the sincerity of a chilled-out melody, but the sombreness of the lyrics makes it weighty.
Perfectly executed by soul and R&B powerhouse Amy Naessens, the darkness of unrequited love oozes in each word. Her obscure vocals capture the vulnerability of this Romeo and Juliet love affair, while etching them in your heart with heartfelt tenderness. Barbagianni explain that Naessens’ lyrics “…offer a darker take… and explore the challenges young lovers face. The result is an upbeat yet melancholic dance track…”
Translated from Italian to English, a barbagianni is a barn owl. Elegant, elusive, sometimes kind of creepy, but you just can’t tear your eyes away from its beauty – the duo, Barbagianni, are pretty much like that. If ‘Queen Of Verona’ is anything to go by, I cannot wait for their upcoming debut EP set for release later this year.
Find out more about Barbagianni on their Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Bandcamp and Spotify.
Find out more about Amy Naessens on her Spotify.
This artist was sent to us by Jawdropper Music.
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