Feature: Our Beauty in the Fire Decodes “Fear”
Photo Credit: Giorgia Riboni
How did you come up with the idea?
The budding idea came almost two years ago, during a quite difficult period in my life, due to a serious loss I had had. It all began as a (written) reflection on fear, its associations and implications, its destructive (even annihilating) side as well as its potential to bring change and renewal. I soon took a particular chord progression I was working on and started adapting the lyrics, which seemed to fit perfectly.
How did you approach the arrangement and composition of the music for "Fear?"
Concerning the composition history, as I said, it all started with the chords of the verse, repeating almost obsessively through different variations in the arrangement, initially based on brass instruments and synths. While harmonically the chorus followed almost naturally, I spent some time working on a chorus melody able to ‘open up’ the mood of the verse with its quite dreamy and gothic feel. After the first demo stage, I decided to explore different sonic possibilities, using, among the others, a real drum kit and percussions that would provide relevant changes in dynamics, and above all introduce a saxophone, the latter strongly influencing the particular sound of the track. In fact, the choice of that highly versatile instrument (which I particularly appreciate in its appearances in 80s new wave, darkwave and art pop) is not very common in OBITF’s genre, and creates a beautiful contrast with the rest of the instruments. Significantly, the saxophone closes the song remaining ‘alone’, playing solo for a few phrases. To record these parts I benefited from the contribution of different friends and musicians: Azzurra Buccoliero on saxophone, Tristano Cannoletta and Dario Marchetti on drums and percussions.
What impact do you hope this song will have on your audience?
Of course, I hope “Fear” will be appreciated by my ‘old’ fan base as well as by new listeners who still haven’t had the chance to get in contact with my music. But there is more to that: what I would like listeners to acknowledge and enjoy here is Our Beauty in the Fire’s desire to push the boundaries of his music (something I had already experimented with the second single “In Circles”), without losing his identity and attitude. Considering the feedback so far, it seems some of the choices made in terms of sound (especially the introduction of a saxophone), though apparently destabilizing, have been appreciated and I hope they will be in the future.
Can you tell us more about you as an artist?
As Matteo Fabbris (singer and guitarist), I started making music about 30 years ago, going through a variety of bands and projects (between Varese and Milan) ranging from gothic metal to darkwave, singing both in English and in Italian and every time having an important role in the composition process. It was during a quite long hiatus between my former and my current band, in the mid/late 2010s (and after moving to Milan), that I started to ‘carve’ a sort of private space for developing new and old ideas and suggestions. From mid-2019 this project took a more defined form and evolved silently, becoming a sort of ‘gentle obsession’. For more than two years Our Beauty in the Fire crafted his sound working on an extensive variety of material, trying to bring together dark/gothic atmospheres and aesthetics, folk sounds and the attitude and research of singer-songwriters. At that time, the (demo) recordings were still undisclosed but to very few people. In late 2022 he finally decided to make some of his songs public, with the aim of sharing his music and finding his niche. A few months later Sono Music Group agreed to distribute and promote the project, and Our Beauty in the Fire was ‘officially’ born. Musically, Our Beauty in the Fire’s sound and vision mainly rely on acoustic guitars coupled with classical and/or modern instruments, vocal harmonies, and deep and intense lyrics, reflecting my inner world (also in its darkest, most uncomfortable and contradictory aspects). Therefore, I think OBITF reflects exactly who I am without any particular 'distortion', superfluous element or pose, and I believe this is one of the most important elements that characterize me as an artist.
Are there any upcoming projects or releases that you're particularly excited about?
After the next single, I’m going to work on my first full length album, expected for the end of the year. At the same time I will be taking care of the live dimension, a new step for Our Beauty in the Fire, born as a studio one man project. In order to promote the album I’m going to play live in a small formation (2/3 musicians), so that, hopefully, I’ll be able both to recreate and experiment with the original sound, and keep the intimate and personal nature of the project. I’m looking forward to moving on and bringing my music to the ones willing to embrace it.
