SINGLES: Antonioni – “Mary Bell”

Released: August 11, 2020

Alternative Rock
Seattle Indie

“I’d leave us too, 
If i had the choice”

Fresh after signing to Lauren Records and on the cusp of a long-awaited debut full-length, Seattle band Antonioni finally feel primed to take the city by storm. “Mary Bell,” the first offering from that upcoming record, fittingly rumbles and shakes like thunder. It’s a brief, brooding track that fits a titanic vocal hook around an effectively simple chord structure, like a classic They Might Be Giants single. Though the path it takes might be well-worn, the band walks that path thoughtfully. Not five seconds go by when something new isn’t grabbing your attention, from the drop-in/drop-out thump of the bass or the constant shifting of the lead guitars. Sarah Pasillas’ cryptic address boasts some killer one-liners (“I felt so heart-attacked”, in one example) but it’s more impressive for how she lays those lines over the band’s chug like a blanket, straddling the line between ruthless self-effacement and confident swagger.

With its paced tempo and bombshell end after only two-and-a-half minutes, “Mary Bell” comes across – as singles should – like a teaser for what’s to come. That it’s so effective in its brevity signals an album that finally fulfills the promise of Antonioni’s debut EPs.