Check out the latest single from Andrea Van Cleef – this is genuinely haunting and compelling music from the Italian singer-songwriter. Immediately striking, Van Cleef’s low tones and intimate, deep-voiced vocal draws us into the narrative of ‘A Horse Named Cain’. Musically, an urgent beat drives the song along while Van Cleef delivers his words, full of sorrow and heartbreak and survival: “I’m gonna push my will // right above the rim of the sky // Send me a letter // wish me luck I’m going to die…My mind is a lonely thing // Hear it roar, you’re gonna hear it sing.”
Angelo Maffioletti has directed an impressively atmospheric black and white video; shamanic visions, tarot readings, snow-clad forests and Van Cleef’s black horse combine to great effect, creating a moody visual with a touch of film noir, complementing the song’s lyrics. These images are interspersed with Van Cleef’s beautifully hypnotic guitar-work.
‘A Horse Named Cain’ is from the upcoming album ‘Horse Latitudes’, due out on 5th April 2024. Van Cleef’s fourth solo record finds him at a crossroads in his music, where the alt-rock of his previous bands meets Americana influences, especially southern gothic styles and Johnny Cash’s later work for American Recordings. The album’s distinctive sound was achieved with recording at two locations: Texas and back home in Italy. Recording sessions began at Rick Del Castillo’s Smilin’ Castle Productions studio with musician and producer Del Castillo, who has worked with Hollywood director Robert Rodriguez on the soundtracks for ‘Once Upon a Time in Mexico’ and ‘Machete’ as well as on the version of ‘Malagueña Salerosa’ that featured in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Kill Bill Vol.2’. Del Castillo’s style was then complemented by sound engineer Simone Piccinelli, who finished the work at Buca Recording Studio in Montichiari. The resulting record is a successful blend of American and European musical influences – check it out when it arrives. In the meantime, absorb the fine songcraft and atmospheric cinematography of ‘A Horse Named Cain’.
