Anglo-Italian Edward Abbiati’s new single is a thought-provoking response to the times we’re living in. With conflicts like Ukraine and Gaza in mind, the former Lowlands frontman explores the idea of a civilian having to leave their home in five minutes. Sofia Abbiati adds haunting backing vocals, her melody rising up in ethereal waves, while Abbiati’s weary voice is perfect for exploring memory and loss. Abbiati’s well-chosen words remain with you after the song is over: “Time moves on // Kids grow up Leaves fall down // one by one Time moves on // But the shadows remain Our Faces unchanged // In little frames Time moves on // I never knew This single moment // would last so long.” Marco Rovino delivers moody electric guitar, building the atmosphere and tension as the song builds to its climax.
Created by Giorgio Magarò, the video is a striking work of art; starring Luigi Cori as a man and Inga Babenko as his wife, remembered only in photos, it is a genuinely compelling short film. We follow the man’s story as he is pulled from his memories and loving past into an apocalyptic present, given just five minutes to leave his home. The message is clear: war destroys people’s lives and histories, and human connections. There are no winners amongst the everyday people whose lives are forever changed by it. The camera pans away at the end, revealing devastation and despair and leaves us lingering on the nature of time passing and our place within its relentless currents.
Magarò has participated in and documented many protests about Gaza but, for this film, he wanted to explore something more personal and intimate – the impact of war on an individual’s inner world and how it changes them. It asks questions about what can be taken and what is left behind; what can be rebuilt and what can never be replaced. The film is deliberately not located in Gaza or Ukraine but could be anywhere, a placeless home, reinforcing the idea that this trauma could happen to any one of us. Immerse yourself in ‘Time Moves On: 5 Minutes’ – sensitive songwriting.
