Pre-Order: New Candys - The Uncanny Extravaganza

New Candys are set to make a powerful return in 2025 with the release of their highly anticipated fifth album, ‘The Uncanny Extravaganza’, via Fuzz Club. Marking a bold evolution in the band’s sound, the album blends their signature rock roots with electronic influences and cutting-edge production by Maurizio Baggio (The Soft Moon, Boy Harsher). The result is a genre-defying sonic experience that could be their most compelling work yet – veering between aggressive, gritty sounds, synth-driven rhythms, and dreamy, melancholic minimalism.

It also opens a fresh chapter for the band, showcasing a new lineup with core members Fernando Nuti (vocals, guitar, synth, programming) and Dario Lucchesi (bass, synth, programming), alongside Emanuele Zanardo (guitar, backing vocals) and Francesco Giacomin (drums, percussion, sampler). This record follows their 2021 release, ‘Vyvyd’, which led to shows across North America and Europe through late 2023.

The creation of ‘The Uncanny Extravaganza’ began in late 2022 when the band started working on new material. Nuti, the band’s primary songwriter, says: "It was an intense and exciting time. I had many songs and ideas that I wanted to try out with the band, and we ended up debuting ‘Crime Wave’ live. We don't live close to each other and can't rehearse very often, so using our home studios became the solution. This new process gave us the opportunity to experiment further, and it allowed me to quickly explore different arrangements to find the best one for each song".

Lucchesi’s growing interest in electronic music also played a pivotal role in shaping the album’s direction, making his transition from drums to bass a natural evolution. He elaborates: "The lineup change and the shift to bass created a situation where I could bring new ideas to the band. Working alone, with my own pace and methods, allowed me to explore and express myself more effectively. I found it refreshing to play remotely, exchanging projects and seeing the progress of the songs that both Fernando and I could work on, handling all the instruments and breaking away from the roles established on stage and on previous albums". Their collaboration resulted in standout tracks like ‘Regicide’ and ‘Night Surfer’, with contributions from Zanardo and Giacomin further enriching the band’s evolving sound, culminating in some of the best songs New Candys have ever written.

Production was handled by Maurizio Baggio (The Soft Moon, Boy Harsher), who worked closely with the band throughout 2024, spreading the recording sessions across the year to focus on individual tracks in detail. "After self-producing all our records, except for the first, we wanted to collaborate closely with Maurizio on this one", explains Nuti. "We're thrilled with the final result. With Vyvyd, we just scratched the surface of electronic elements, this time we wanted to fully embrace them and find a new balance. I couldn’t imagine us finishing a song using only the instruments we normally play live, it wouldn’t have been interesting, contemporary, or new enough. Also, I couldn’t have cared less about making a stylistically and genre-cohesive album. In fact, the less categorizable and the more bizarre it was, the happier we were. I wanted each track to feel unexpected, a constant surprise. Just when you think you’ve figured out what kind of record it is, the next song makes you realize you’re wrong".

The album's sonic variety, a hallmark of New Candys' music, is more pronounced than ever. Its title combines contrasting terms that reflect the band’s multifaceted artistic vision. From the aggressive, gritty sounds of ‘Regicide’ and ‘Crime Wave’ to the minimal, melancholic tones of ‘Aquawish’ and ‘Final Mission’, the record spans a wide range of styles. Tracks like ‘Night Surfer’ and ‘Wild Spaghetti West’ feature western and surf-influenced riffs, while ‘Cagehead’ and ‘You'll Never Know Yourself’ offer psychedelic outros.

Lyrically, the album delves into surreal and sometimes cryptic themes, with a recurring motif related to water, inspired by the band’s proximity to Venice. Nuti reflects on how everything underwater transforms, appearing dreamlike, distorted, inaccessible, and often lifeless, and uses this imagery metaphorically, relating it to reality to inspire both the lyrics and the artwork. The album also conveys a sense of rebellion, considering how the pandemic provided an opportunity to rethink priorities, a chance that world politics missed.

With ‘The Uncanny Extravaganza’, New Candys continue to evolve, blending their signature sound with fresh influences to create what could be their most compelling work to date. Fans can look forward to its release on May 30, 2025.