Mardi Gras
Diving into Sandcastle, Mardi Gras craft a cinematic, emotionally charged world. In this interview, Fabrizio Fontanelli explores its themes of trauma, identity, and resilience.
1. “Lia’s Theme” is such a powerful and emotional introduction to Sandcastle. How did you approach translating Cecilia’s limbo between life and death into music and lyrics?
Thank you! We chose “Lia’s Theme” as the first single from the album because we wanted to focus on this limbo.
Cecilia’s call for justice sounds so powerful — she’s struggling for life while also addressing Sebastian, the narcissistic boy who shows her only his magnetic charm, hiding the darker side of himself. Liar. We wanted the term to feel completely unfiltered, and it’s a great chorus.
2. The Sandcastle project is described as a “Graphic Musical.” How did this storytelling format influence your songwriting and the way the album unfolds?
Yes, the album comes with a graphic musical project. At first, there was this script, and when they asked us to create the soundtrack, we felt very excited. This story is a great vehicle for talking about these difficult times. As musicians and witnesses of our era, we can express ourselves through our instruments and our music. That’s why the storytelling has a huge impact on the record. It’s a concept album, and we chose eight key moments where we focused on themes such as bullying and narcissism.
3. The narrative behind the album is intense and cinematic, dealing with trauma, revenge, and identity. What drew you to this darker, more complex concept?
When we were writing the album we were deeply immersed in the 1980s New Jersey alongside Cecilia and Nicholas and their struggling for a better life under the wings of their uncle Don Nate Caruso a ruthless Mob (Mafia) boss.
But what excited us the most was to write about the dark side of Sebastian and his gang of narcissists — the “invisible man” we wrote about in “Don’t Touch the Sinner. They really drew us to create a very dark record in a way: heavy guitars, strings, and a strong sense of mystery. There are many layers of suggestion throughout.
4. Each band member brings a distinct musical element—from acoustic textures to piano-driven melodies and electric intensity. How did you collaborate to shape the sound of this album?
We wrote the whole album as a band, all six of us. It was the first time we worked like this together.We carefully chose every single word and every single sound. We focused entirely on the feeling of the story, allowing it to be very loose, and even to explore new territories, both lyrically and musically
5. You’ve had a long journey since “Drops Made” in 2006, including touring Ireland and sharing stages with major artists. How has your sound evolved leading up to Sandcastle?
Our third album is called “Playground,” and it sums up our musical journey, from being an acoustic duo playing around the country to becoming a six-piece band. The songs themselves led the way. They wanted to be “dressed,” so we kept adding colours, and little by little we got here, still playing with music. I guess that’s what makes us feel alive, even 20 years after “Drops Made.” Liina was an epiphany for us. She added a lot to our music and to the way we write and play. I remember vividly our very first meeting, when she sang a few tunes in our studio. It was simply amazing. Maybe we weren’t ready to leave our comfort zone, because her background is totally different from ours. But as I said before its a Playground, so let’s play hard!
6. Sandcastle explores both fragility and inner strength. What do you hope listeners take away from this story and its emotional depth?
The bottom line is” If we were struck in our dearest affections, would we be able to react by finding within ourselves a strength we had never expressed before?”
So we hope that listeners can find within themselves the strength to rise up and react. When the people you love are in danger, you can become someone you never imagined you could be.”Sandcastle” is a call to action.