Italian darkwave/post-punk quartet Christine Plays Viola has recently signed with the esteemed Cleopatra Records. Desolate Moments is the third single off their latest album, F.I.V.E. - Fear Increases Violent Emotions, and showcases a gloomy, emotional sound influenced by darkwave, post punk, and goth sensibilities.
The band has established a strong name in Europe's alternative scene after over two decades of combining an atmospheric type of melodicism, post punk agitation, and immersive darkwave. Through their new material, they appear to be moving ahead while taking a fresh approach.
Guitarist and songwriter, Fabrizio Giampietro, comments on the song: “Desolate Moments is about that fragile space where you realize you’ve lost yourself, but you’re still conscious enough to feel it. I was thinking about the idea of emotional disappearance — not in a physical sense, but in a psychological one. That moment when you look back at your life, at promises you made, at people you loved, and you understand that somewhere along the way… something broke. There’s a strong sense of guilt in the song, but also inevitability. Like being trapped inside your own mistakes, watching your world slowly collapse while you’re unable to stop it. The line ‘you exist nowhere’ really sums it up for me — it’s about losing your place in reality, becoming a shadow of yourself.”
On the video, Fabrizio adds: “Musically and visually, we wanted to reflect that dissolution of identity. That’s why in the video we chose silhouettes instead of faces — no clear identity, just fading presences merging with memories, like fragments of something that once was. It’s probably one of the most introspective and emotionally exposed tracks we’ve ever written.”
The current lineup of Christine Plays Viola features Fabrizio Giampietro (guitars, synth, programming), Massimo Ciampani (vocals), Gianluca Orsini (drums), and Marco Di Ianni (bass).
ZR