New album from I’m Not A Blonde

Based in Milan’s underground music scene, I’m Not A Blonde have spent the last decade building a version of electronic pop that feels equally intricate and emotionally unpredictable. The Italian-American duo, formed by Chiara Castello and Camilla Benedini, exist in the zone between opposites; analogue warmth collides with digital aesthetic, humour sits beside melancholy and moments of minimalism suddenly bloom into widescreen synth-driven sound. It’s a formula that’s become key to the identity of the project, giving their music a sense of energy that constantly shifts.

Chiara arrives from a fine art background, drawn towards disorder, texture and instinctive creation, while Camilla’s experience as an architect brings structure to the process. Together, they operate like two opposing creative forces pulling in the same direction and that balance has defined I’m Not A Blonde since the release of their 2016 debut album Introducing I’m Not a Blonde, a record that first revealed their blend of electronic art pop, 80s synth influence and melodic experimentation.

From there, the duo continued to stake their claim as one of Italy’s most adventurous alternative acts with their follow-up album The Blonde Album expanding their sound, while Under the Rug, unveiled during Germany’s Reeperbahn Festival, confirmed that their appeal stretched far beyond Milan’s underground circuit. Over time, they’ve played alongside artists including Duran Duran, Moderat, Soulwax, Peaches, Ghostpoet and Hurts, placing themselves within a sphere of musicians who treat pop music like a constantly developing artistic medium.

That same mindset now drives their latest album titled 11 (The Art Of Being A Couple), released through the INRI Records imprint. Across eleven tracks, the record plays out like an emotional map of a relationship, tracing intimacy, distance, rediscovery and personal identity, reframeing the way relationships are often understood.

Ultimately, the duo propose that 1+1=11, two complete individuals existing side by side rather than dissolving into one another.It’s a concept that shapes every aspect of the record and the alternation between Italian and English throughout the album mirrors the shifts that happen within relationships themselves, where closeness and distance constantly trade places. The two languages interrupt each other, respond to one another and coexist naturally, turning communication itself into part of the album’s emotional architecture.

Set up by the quiet bubble of synths and drifting vocalisations on opening track “To Fall,” the march of drums and pulse of arpeggiated synths ushers in smooth vocal leads to form an emotive synth pop outing brimming with icy textures and moving lyricism. On “Segli Me,” the pair link up with Rachele Bastreghi to deliver a slick electronic pop soundscape that rolls with punching beats and buzzy synths capped by rhythmic vocal delivery to serve up a bright and instantly catchy sound.

“Hip Hop in the Fog” flows with a muted synth line, filtering in with a woozy lead and stomp of drums before jumping into a bouncy, dance-focused sound cut with breathy vocal, bending between a minimal arrangement and an immersive scene of stuttering synth zaps and shuffling percussion. Other highlights on the record include tracks like previously released single “QUESTA LINGUA” where the steady pulse of kick, groove of bass and flicker of organic tones expands into a lively sound of fluttering instrumentation, playful vocal layers and upbeat energy.

“The Island” glides into a mesmeric sound of dreamy instrumental tones that twinkle around elegant vocals, offering a graceful slice of stripped back alternative pop that gradually blooms with washing synths, intricate guitars, sparse percussion and alluring vocals. “Circle,” featuring Sarah Stride” brings stacks of staccato instrumental shots and overlapping vocals to cast a thoroughly transportive musical experience. Closing the record with “Fissa Fisaa,” the moody sweep of synths and rattle of crisp beats takes listeners on an epic voyage of avant pop to deliver a dark and memorable finale to I’m Not A Blonde’s sensational new album.

Listen to 11 (The Art Of Being A Couple) below