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New York City’s invigorating Italo-hardcore outfit Mirage are back with a new 12" "Legato Alla Rovina". Their latest release shifts ever closer towards the forefathers of classic Italian punk with 8 new tracks in the vein of Nerorgasmo and Upset Noise. Martial drums and commanding riffs are the backdrop to sonorous mad-preacher style vocals, while maintaining a reverence for post punk influence. - Morgan Davis
Our take: Debut vinyl from this New York group who sings in Italian and whose music takes a lot of inspiration from 80s Italian hardcore. While the label’s description mentions Nerorgasmo and Upset Noise as points of comparison, the one my mind keeps jumping to is Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers. Mirage’s vocalist has a similarly biting tone to CCM’s vocalist, and like CCM at their best, Mirage has a way of moving between frantic, clipped rhythms and spacier parts where the lead guitar takes center stage with intriguingly off-kilter melodies. The weird-but-intense vibe also reminds me of Die Kreuzen in places, but then again, so does CCM. Like Idiota Civilizzato, Mirage really seems to have cracked the code on how this gloriously strange and intense strain of Italian hardcore works, but rather than produce mere pastiche, they’re able to infuse their music with energy, power, and progressive spirit.