Bow Wow
Bologna, Italy
“Attitude driven, Italian pop-punk”
After several releases and worldwide tours since 1998, Italian quartet Forty Winks unveils their latest, Bow Wow, which features that nostalgic high school throwback of upbeat pop-punk, tinted with some soul and a hint of alt-country, giving the group more edge compared to the same old generic pop-punk moguls.
Forty Winks – “Way Out” by performermag
Front man Sandro Lovely clenches onto the attention with opener “Beneath Her Feet,” which possesses a gritty but joyful bar song sound. Instead of his native language, Lovely sings in a slippery, but coherent English. Whatever the purpose is, this could benefit Forty Winks, so that their exotic Italian language and accents won’t steer their audience away from their actual musical content. Still, Lovely’s vocals resemble Billie Joe’s from Green Day, so a touch of the foreign tongue could’ve added more character.
Highlights include “Way Out” and the final one minute long track, “Ain’t Good Enough.” The titles themselves reek of attitude, but the wild guitars, persistent percussion and angry, isolated lyrics prevail, sealed with a light kiss of pop. “I Feel Dead” is a catchy tune that avoids an overload of pop-punk cheese. “Somersault” is a cool, danceable hit that Weezer could enjoy and cover. The most unique track is “63, Fortress Road,” where Forty Winks let their guard down with a brief, meditative lullaby. Whatever path these guys choose to travel, they are on the right track with acknowledging their pop-punk influences, but stirring them up to shun all the clichés. (End Sounds)
Recorded at Red Angels Studio
Mixed and Mastered by Forty Winks and Frank Carati