Gratifying Folk Pop from Naples. - An Early Bird: Fishes in the Ocean

Delivers a gratifying retrospective that is rooted in the folk traditions of emotional intimacy and profound yearning.
Krister Axel

Krister Axel

4

 min read time

Stefano De Stefano began his career in music on the Italian circuit as the member of a local band before going solo with his project An Early Bird. Debut album "Of Ghosts & Marvels" was released in October 2018, followed by the "In Depths" EP—released in 2019—and the full album "Echoes of Unspoken Words" which came out last year.

"Fishes in the Ocean" is his first single drop of the new year, and finds him blending a crisp finger-style guitar with acoustic piano and a prominent falsetto vocal. Stefano De Stefano grew up in Naples, and has toured extensively across Europe, sharing stages alongside artists like Joshua Radin, Jake Bugg, S. Carey, Stu Larsen, Grant-Lee Phillips, and Dan Owen.

This preview from his latest album project feels both cinematic and anthemic, as De Stefano constructs a haunting melody and subtle vocal harmony from the bones of personal introspection. As we glide through waves of melancholy, thoughtfulness, and an appreciation for the gift of life, we are humbled by the near-infinite set of possibilities that are offered to us. With "Fishes in the Ocean," An Early Bird delivers a gratifying retrospective that is rooted in the folk traditions of emotional intimacy and profound yearning.

I don’t want to live in the past
I’ve been looking in a broken glass
All we are is marks in the sand
We fade more every day
We’re dying to smash the borders
Of a life full of orders
We’re dying for a fresh kiss
A fleeting moment of bliss
image for Gratifying Folk Pop from Naples. - An Early Bird: Fishes in the Ocean
I wanted to picture that feeling of being tired and trapped in the net of everyday life, with rules and roles that we all know. I think that out there we feel like we’re alone in a sea of opportunities, [with just one] choice: catch them or being captured. — Stefano De Stefano

"Diviner", the third release from An Early Bird, was produced by Stefano Bruno and will be released in summer 2021 via Greywood Records. "Fishes in the Ocean" is the album’s first single, and offers an enticing hint of Stefano De Stefano's continuing evolution as a songwriter and musical storyteller.

Visit An Early Bird on Instagram.

Krister Axel

A proud husband and father of two living in Sacramento. I write code, I make music, and I publish content on the web. See also: Podcasting, Poetry, Photography, & Songwriting.

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