eLxAr is a fascinating electronic/synthwave act from Italy I recently learned of when they reached out to me about their latest single “Nessuno Vede“. They consist of Luca, a pianist, composer, producer and game designer, and Alex (short for Alexandra), a singer-songwriter, digital designer, illustrator and multi-faceted artist. Not only are both of them multi-talented, they’re also passionate about social justice and environmental issues.
With a focus on retro-flavored electronic music (synthwave/retrowave/synthpop) of the 1980s and 90s, their aim is to create art with a social impact and inspire positive change by addressing social issues through specific stories and emotional exploration. As they stated in a recent Facebook post: “If modern mainstream music is mostly used as a mass distraction, we try to use it to refocus people on what is the reality of this poor world, while maintaining a certain balance between positives and negatives, like in a sort of Yin and Yang.”
Initially formed in 2021 as a mostly instrumental act with guest vocalists on selected tracks, eLxAr have released an impressive amount of music, including three albums, Looking For The Sound in 2021, Beyond The Emotions in 2022, and Samsara in 2023, and numerous singles. Possessing a captivating voice in her own right, Alex began singing vocals for eLxAr in 2023, adding a richer and fuller dimension to their already marvelous sound.
Keeping with their goal of creating music that’s both entertaining and provocative, the duo began 2024 with a series of singles that will culminate in their fourth album Demons, due for release toward the end of the year. Each song will address “different ways that humans exploit and make other humans suffer.” The lead single “Dust”, released on January 17, touches on manipulation, whereas “Nessuno Vede” (Italian for “No One Sees”) is a scathing denunciation of cyberbullying that’s become far too prevalent today, sadly even in Italy.
About the song, the duo elaborate: “Nessuno Vede” is THE song against the plague that is cyberbullying. A plague that gains in destructive power the more our world revolves around the usage of cold and soulless technology, putting humanity aside. No one can truly know the pain and disappointment that victims endure because they no longer trust, and belittle the abuse they’ve suffered to appear strong or to avoid repercussions. It seems to be trendy on social media. In schools and workplaces they inform on what to do and what not to do without providing real support. News reports about it only when it’s already too late, and people wonder “why?”… and in all cases, no one speaks up, no one is punished, or the punishments are mild.”
“Nessuno Vede” is a darkly beautiful synthwave track, with an arresting, almost haunting soundscape highlighted by gauzy atmospheric synths layered over a languid hypnotic beat. Although sung in Italian, Alex’s emotive vocals still convey a strong sense of bitter frustration and resentment expressed in the biting lyrics, which they’ve kindly translated to English:
In the dark
Of your silences
You look at the screens
They are barriers
You have fake friends
Lots of virtual ones
Only messages as blades cutting edges
You look for a way out but hatred, contempt, haunts you
It becomes useless to ask for help
No one will ever stop them
Lots of scars
Made invisible
And secrets kept tight
No one sees
No one listens
In the network your voice is lost
You look for a way out but hatred, contempt, haunts you
It becomes useless to ask for help
No one will ever stop them
And you often think you're going to end it
Pain suffocates you
Poison in their words, slowly, sinks into your soul
Days go by
Like faded pages
You hide
And avoid stares
Fake Smiles
You say you're fine
But then...
Calls
Messages
You suck
I hate you
No one loves you
Go away
You're ugly
But how fat are you
You're pitiful, loser
Why don't you disappear?
This life is unbearable
Their hatred consumes you
It was useless to ask for help
The light inside you has gone out
You often think you're going to end it
Pain suffocates you
Poison in their words, softly, sink into your soul
Connect with eLxAr: Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram
Find their music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon Music / Tidal / YouTube
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 
😎
LikeLiked by 1 person
“… a darkly beautiful synthwave track, with an arresting, almost haunting soundscape highlighted by gauzy atmospheric synths layered over a languid hypnotic beat…” that’s a perfect description of the track, definitely synth-sational!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thanks Ben. I try my best!
LikeLiked by 2 people
We’re so glad you liked out song! Big thanks, both to you and Jeff. We’re very grateful ^^
LikeLiked by 2 people
This is awesome. When I’m not looking for covers of music of the past, I listen to a lot of this type of music, but had never heard of this group. North likes!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Splendid! Happy to expose you to a new music act North!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’re glad to have made a good impression! Hopefully we can manage to satisfy your expectations in the future too ^^
LikeLiked by 1 person
ELxAr are one of the shining lights of Independent music. They don’t shy away from writing about difficult topics. This track is outstanding.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you for your friendship and beautiful words Kiffie ^^
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey Kiffie, thanks for commenting!
LikeLike
To start with, kudos for featuring a foreign language song. With the US and the UK being being such huge music markets (and I’m not even counting Canada, New Zealand or Australia), one can easily forget there’s so much other music out there, including in foreign languages.
When I was still living in Germany, I paid more attention to the Italian market, especially in the ’80s. Some of their artists enjoyed decent visibility on German radio waves. The first coming to mind is Gianna Nannini.
Speaking of “Nessumo Vede,” musically, I “shouldn’t like that song,” and yet it drew me in. There’s something about Alex’s vocals. I also like the topic of the song, which couldn’t be more timely.
LikeLiked by 2 people
We’re glad you managed to find our song enjoyable even tho it was in a foreign language. We usually do write in English but being based in Italy we’re also set in having at least a minimum of 1 song in Italian per album and, for this new album we’re working on, this was the one 🙂
Alex said she’s grateful you found her vocals intriguing and we hope you can find future songs enjoyable too 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Christian. Though I’ve featured many musicians and bands from non-English-speaking countries over the years, I’ve only written about a few that were sung in a different language. Given its timely and relevant subject matter, I felt it was important to feature “Nessuno Vede”.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Pretty cool video and I enjoyed that more than I thought I would!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Splendid! It’s a bit of a challenge given the lyrics are in Italian, and even with less than happy subject matter, it’s a sonically enjoyable song, nonetheless.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are several songs I listen too in Italian, Spanish etc. I don’t know what they are saying but as you point out they are just that “sonically enjoyable”. I’m gonna steal that one Jeff!
LikeLike
Jeff, your creative descriptions just get better and better. Love the track and applaud their willingness to attack social ills.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for the very kind compliment, Ralph!
LikeLike
Not in my wheelhouse but…I did like the video and the atmosphere the song makes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Fresh New Tracks, Vol. 48 – eLxAr, Joe Peacock, Kevin Robertson, Sorry Ghost – ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER