Gentilesky are a band with international roots stretching between Sardinia and Turkey. In their music, they fearlessly blend elements of punk, garage punk, post-punk, and new wave, all delivered in a shamelessly wild fashion where these influences collide into a chaotic yet captivating mix. Following this approach, they have now released their second album, Dream, through Slovenly Recordings. The result is nine tracks of alternative punk driven by sharp, choppy guitar riffs, a pulsating bass, and a female vocal. In their Bandcamp bio, the band states that in 2026 the world is hurtling toward collapse, and asks what else there is to create in a post-world other than post-what-fucking-ever. I have to admit that this poetic description feels brilliantly fitting for their music. Musically, I would describe them as a cross between The Distillers and Dresden Dolls, borrowing the punk drive of The Distillers and the cabaret aesthetics of Dresden Dolls. Or imagine taking Tiger Lillies and forcing them to turn the intensity up several notches.
The band sings in English, which I think is crucial to their overall sound. Their mixed cultural background contributes greatly to the energy of the band, but English serves as the perfect vehicle to tie everything together. Every song on the album makes excellent use of tension and dynamics, keeping the listener engaged before building toward carefully crafted climaxes. Nine tracks feels like exactly the right length for this record, and the only thing I found myself missing was a lyric sheet in the booklet.
The opening track, Chasing The Light, immediately throws you into an art-punk world, seats you in a cabaret chair, and launches straight into its performance without hesitation. Money Making raises the intensity even further, with everything revolving around the expressive delivery of the lead female vocalist. One Way Out is an undeniable highlight, built around clever pacing and gradual escalation, making it an instant standout from the very first listen. The energetic Morning Regret glides along with a theatrical sense of emotional expression, while Side A closes with Heavenly Body, another track that impresses immediately.
Side B offers four more songs. It begins with the slightly melancholic Dreamland, followed by the thunderous Back In The Days, which is probably the most punk-oriented track on the entire album. The penultimate 1000 Kez once again relies heavily on the vocal performance, which rises out of an intense wall of sound, and the album closes with Why?, a playful song built around an almost soundtrack-like structure.
Gentilesky are exactly the kind of band that must be a blast to see in a small club setting. Their music is intense, emotional, and deeply focused on atmosphere and feeling. It constantly oscillates between musical expression and theatrical emotional performance. The frequent tempo changes and shifts in mood never allow the listener to fall into monotony. In some ways, they remind me of the Czech underground legends Už jsme doma, although that band pushed this approach even further, playing in a more extreme fashion and adding a distinctive visual dimension through their collaboration with Martin Velíšek. Gentilesky remain closer to a cabaret-punk approach, and it suits them perfectly. Under normal circumstances, this is probably a record I would have passed by without a second thought, largely because the band was completely new to me. I’m glad I didn’t, because it turned out to be a genuinely rewarding listen.
