Stefano Attuario’s Rock Album “Babele” is a Dark Poetry and Sonic Vision

Stefano Attuario is a singer-songwriter whose work moves freely between music, poetry, and visual imagination. After the release of the singles “Insetti,” “Amen,” and “Arianna,” he unveils “Babele” a highly anticipated album that marks a decisive step forward in his artistic evolution. Produced by Max Zanotti (The Elephant Man, Deasonika, Casablanca), Babele is conceived as a conceptual journey through inner chaos, emotional fragility, and the human search for redemption. The album unfolds as a mosaic of voices, images, and sensations, where disorder becomes meaning and dissonance reveals unexpected beauty.

With Babele, Attuario confirms his distinctive ability to blend words, sound, and symbolism into a personal and uncompromising language. The record abandons rigid genre boundaries, merging rock, darkwave, and poetic songwriting into a cinematic and intense sonic landscape. Acoustic instruments and synthesizers coexist in a constant play of light and shadow, reflecting the album’s themes of contradiction, vulnerability, and transformation. More than a collection of songs, Babele stands as a deeply introspective statement — an album that invites listeners to confront confusion, embrace imperfection, and find clarity within chaos.

What was the initial spark that gave life to Babele as a concept album? Babel is a personal urge to write songs. Babel represents my personal chaos, a state of confusion and disorder of words, gestures, images, and thoughts accumulated in my mind, crying out for freedom in written and musical form. In this album, I found order in the chaos, a beauty hidden in dissonance, where each fragment finds its place in a larger picture. I didn't think about style or genre; I wrote what I wanted, the way I wanted. It's a choice driven by the need to express more direct feelings and themes, as in the songs "Insetti," "Saliva Nera," "Morfina," and "Arianna," but also to explore more intimate aspects, as in "Amen" and "Marlene." Writing Babelwas more of a personal necessity than a conscious choice; some songs are so intimate that they helped me find peace within myself.

You describe Babele as finding order within chaos — how did that idea shape the songwriting? My musical influences will always have a significant impact on me and my style; they are part of my musical heritage. However, inspiration also manifests itself through other artistic forms, such as Goya's paintings, Gabriele Basilico's photographs, Montale's and Merini's poems, and books by authors like William Seward Burroughs and Bukowski. Anything that captures my curiosity becomes a source of inspiration, and luckily, I'm a curious person. Nemesi, my first album, and Babele actually complement each other. Nemesi was presented to the public with a more cautious and thoughtful approach, both in sound and lyrics. I needed this concept to explore how far I could go. Today, Babele somehow represents the evolution of Nemesi, which, once understood—and receiving positive feedback both abroad and at home, including prestigious recognitions and awards—was ready, indeed, to unreservedly show my true artistic side as a singer-songwriter. So, more than an update to the current times, it was the desire to dare that drove me to write Babele, while still remaining faithful to my musical tastes: dark, rock, and new wave.

How did working with Max Zanotti influence the sound and emotional depth of the record? Max Zanotti, producer and leader of bands like The Elephant Man, Deasonika, and Casablanca, who oversaw the production, was crucial to Nemesi and played an even more significant role with Babele. A producer with an underground, indie background, he reflects the sound and attention to detail that resonate with my vision of music. Babele presents itself with a restless, aggressive sound, but that was exactly what we wanted to achieve. Babele had to have a unique sound, as the themes and attitudes it addresses are also different. During the studio sessions, discussing the lyrics and the concept for the album and the cover, we realized we had to be bold and not be afraid to tackle complex subjects and use expressive language. Even in the music videos, with director Amaro, who oversaw the production and direction of Insetti and Amen, and Davide Forleo with the video for Arianna, it was clear we had to be bold, and so we did. When there's a team that understands the project and is enthusiastic about participating, everything becomes cohesive, natural, and much simpler, even in project communication, as was the case with the Divinazione Milano press office.

After releasing Babele, where do you feel your artistic journey is heading next? I had the opportunity to listen to a wide range of music, both before and while writing Babele. I dedicated myself to exploring both historic and recent albums by artists such as Mark Lanegan, Nick Cave, Marlene Kuntz, Bachi da Pietra, The Elephant Man, Marilyn Manson, Teatro degli Orrori, and Afterhours, to name just a few. These artists may seem very different, but each has expressed, in their own way, themes of poetry, rebellion, desperation, and rebirth, all extremely timely and meaningful. Even during live performances, these emotions are conveyed and shared with us. With Babele, and thanks also to Max Zanotti's production, I wanted to stay true to my musical influences, creating a rawer and more authentic sound, perfectly in tune with what I've written.

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