NYC’s YACOVELLI just dropped their fourth single, Since Emilia, and it’s the kind of track that makes you wish rock radio still existed the way it did in 1994. Alex Yacovelli is a DIY frontman through and through, and that shows up in every production choice here.
The song opens with a Baglama, a small Greek folk instrument related to the Bouzouki. It’s a genuinely surprising choice, and the delicate counter melody it creates makes the eventual drop into a heavy Drop D-flat groove hit way harder than it would otherwise. The contrast is doing a lot of work, and it earns it.
What locks the song in is the hook. It’s got this thick, slow-burning quality that pulls from grunge, stoner rock, and a bit of old-school sleaze all at once. Alex cites The Beatles, Soundgarden, and Slash as reference points, and you can actually hear that in the DNA rather than it being a vague name-drop. The She’s So Heavy heaviness is real.
YACOVELLI has been grinding the NYC underground since the late 2000s, playing Mercury Lounge, Rockwood Music Hall, and beyond. Since Emilia is the sound of that grind paying off. Go follow them on Instagram.
Follow YACOVELLI: Instagram – Spotify
