Four years after his dazzling debut with Lleb, musician and singer-songwriter Merli Armisa is ready to take us on a new journey through his deeply enigmatic sounds, returning to the scene with a second album for Dischi Sotterranei. The first taste of this upcoming adventure is the single Capelli Argento, released on March 26th.
The song is a dreamy and nostalgic stream of consciousness where, in its more than five minutes of length, the progression changes three times: it opens with a delicate synthesizer arpeggio that recalls Four Tet’s music, then evolves into a psychedelic explosion with the entry of analog instruments, but just when it seems to have reached a distorted conclusion, a fade-out lets resurface the ethereal vocals, heavily pitched and deconstructed. While the DIY and lo-fi attitude of the first record remains intact, in this new work the musical palette is enriched by becoming more and more layered, between loops and delays, creating a dense and enveloping atmosphere. For the first time, the project includes piano and acoustic guitar, as well as drums played by Giacomo Ferrari (Generic Animal, Asino). To achieve the highly particular sound textures, in the mix phase, the artist was helped by Fight Pausa, founder of 72-Hours Post Fight and close collaborator of other Dischi Sotterranei projects like Post Nebbia and Visconti. The whole set will be presented live in full band consisting of Marco Bello (guitar, synth, vocals), Andrea Ceddia (bass), Lorenzo Mazzotta (drums), and Adalberto Valsecchi (sax).
The inspirations for this second album draw on the Asian shoegaze and ambient scene, recalling the explorations of cult-following artists such as Parannoul, Asian Glow, and Mid-Air Thief. Japanese visual imagery has also left its mark, and sealing this influence is a sample from the anime Sonny Boy by Shingo Natsume, which appears at the end of the song like a remote echo: «In Sonny Boy, Yamabiko is a big black dog, and he reports that he also used to be a human being, but since he had begun to believe more in others than in himself, he had turned out that way—he doesn’t remember why, especially since the whole thing had happened so long before. Since then the days have been going on as usual, without many opportunities to be wise: who knows what it is like to hold the things inside one’s heart! “How long have you been here? 5000 year”s.
If you are looking for music that can transport you to distant and unexplored worlds, this new chapter of Merli Armisa is an experience not to be missed.
Merli Armisa, stage name of Michele Boscacci, is a musician and singer-songwriter born in Sondrio, Italy, in 1996. His passion for music developed in a family environment where the guitar has always played a central role thanks to his father, a member of the historic band Asma, who from an early age encouraged his curiosity and desire to play, just as he did for his brother Carlo Boscacci, who later became the frontman of Ricche le Mura and the author behind the solo project Bosco da Soma. Self-taught by nature, Michele has forged a unique style marked by spontaneity and a genuine sound, which continues to define his artistic production today. During his teenage years, he gained live performance experience playing in cover bands with friends, and it was during this time that he developed an inclination to write original songs, first in English and later in Italian, with the aim of creating something personal and distinct from the mainstream. Between lo-fi and distorted sounds, his influences range from Ben Howard to King Krule, Alex G, Mount Kimbie, and Mac DeMarco, translating into a dreamy and gritty alt pop.
His university years in Milan, where he studied energy engineering, alternated with weekends in Sondrio, strictly dedicated to recording his demos. Determination was the key. This path ultimately resulted in the release of his first album, Lleb, in 2021. Its sincerity and authenticity immediately captured the attention of industry insiders, including Rockit, who featured it among the best albums of the year. The success of this work paved the way for his first summer tour in 2022, backed by Panico Concerti and Dischi Sotterranei, culminating in his debut at MIAMI Festival.
However, as in the most exciting stories, his journey hit a setback when a severe motorcycle accident forced him to stop, temporarily halting the momentum his project had been gaining. After a long period of recovery, 2025 marks his official return to the scene with a second album, set for release in springtime via Dischi Sotterranei. The first excerpt from the record is the single Capelli Argento, out on March 26th.