Carl Giannelli’s Solo Debut is Nothing but “Sincerity”

For our Fresh Friday this week, I want to introduce my followers and subscribers to someone I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing and attending school with; my friend Carl Giannelli. If you’re in the New England area, you may have heard of a killer band called “Kim Normal.” That, my friends, would be Carl’s band. Carl launched his debut EP, "Sincerity” on September 9th on all major platforms.

I sat with Carl to talk about his musical roots and what to expect from this album and the future.

Carl’s musical journey started at a very early age. He was first bitten by the music bug after watching his father’s copy of AC/DC’s “Live at Donington”. After that, he absorbed everything he could. In first grade, he began guitar lessons, and off he went.

Carl’s inspiration for music stems from a fusion of everything he listens to. Carl enjoys punk rock bands like Black Flag and Minor Threat and other rock artists like Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure, Nirvana, and Dinosaur Jr, as well as other hip/ hop acts like the Beastie Boys. When asked about whom he admires, he proudly lists Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, Lou Barlow of Dinosaur Jr., and Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat.

So after a little background on who Carl is musically; I had to dive into this EP.

Admittedly, I was a little shocked when I went through a first listen of the 5 song EP. This was a 180 from his work with Kim Normal, which is bold and uptempo. Sincerity is a beautifully written, stripped-down, vulnerable effort. The sound took me back in time. I got punk rock flavors, 80s New Wave/ Alternative, and modern songwriting. I listened to this EP, shut my eyes, and was instantly taken back in time. It resonates like an old, fond memory. It truly encompasses everything

he’s influenced by. I asked Carl what he wanted listeners to take away from this effort. “I think the key takeaway is that it’s emotionally honest…It’s open, and it’s lyrically relatable.”

That’s not the only difference in Carl’s debut from Kim Normal. He shared with me that his creative process with this was a little out of his wheelhouse of what he customarily does.“Normally, when I write music, it’s guitar parts, lyrics, and then the rest of it comes together. On Sincerity, I would sometimes begin with lyrics and then go into the rest of the song. It was completely reversed.”

Carl emphasized that he didn’t do this EP without the input of his friends and team. Josh Norbut mixed and mastered this EP, his friend Ryan Wall was on the drums, and his friend Isaiah Welch-Novels was on the bass and violin.

Carl is currently writing more material as we speak, and there are currently no shows planned at this time. I finished my interview with Carl by asking him the ultimate question: If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be? As any musician would, he stopped and came up with a top 3. “Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, Johnny Marr of The Smiths, and Robert Smith of The Cure.”

Check out “Sincerity” on all major platforms, and follow Carl on Instagram @carlgiannelli. This EP is a banger.

Lexx rating: 8.5/10

Favorite Track: Lose Focus