Making good mathcore (here, “good” actually—and inaccurately—meaning “liked by Jack”) is a complex task, but it generally involves blending dizzying technicality and infectious groove in a compelling way. Thus, one of the key evaluative approaches I’ve discovered is the balance between how long it takes me to learn to air-drum along to a song/record (technicality) and how much I actually want to air-drum along to it (groove). Milan-based four-piece LACITTÀDOLENTE pretty much read my mind in this regard, whether intentionally or unintentionally, when composing their debut album Salespeople; upon my cursory listens of the seven-track assault I found myself bobbing and thrashing along with whatever brief rhythmic handles I could grasp amidst the maelstrom of angular yet still ruthlessly chunky riffs and jarring transitions. Needless to say, Salespeople handily meets the criteria of my quality test, as it will most likely take me many more times through to be able to drum along with the same accuracy as I can with Gaza, IDYLLS, Inside the Beehive, etc.; but to reduce it to a simple, solitary “mathcore” label would be an injustice, for the Italian quartet seems to be informed and influenced by a much wider variety of hardcore and other heavy music, evidenced by the meaty crust punk stampedes of “Exploiting,” atmospheric buildups in “Profiteering,” and the eclectic array of vocal styles utilized throughout the record, which vary from art-y ranting to throat-tearing bellows and screams. Kill your bosses, preferably while this is blaring over the speaker system in their extravagant home.
Noise Not Music 