Sbarco is an Italian word which translates to “landing” or “disembarkment.” In a literal sense it means to come ashore after an undetermined about of time spent sea-, air-, or spaceborne. In a metaphorical sense, well, maybe it represents finding your footing after being adrift in the wild and tumultuous world. And maybe that’s what Nebu, Teo, and Marco had in mind when they formed the Alternative Rock band, SBARCO. On September 13, the Italian trio released their debut, self-titled album via Argonauta Records.

In the band’s words, the album “unfolds as a mental journey through fundamental themes (loneliness, despair, love and hope) where the maritime imagery serves to narrate the simplest and most universal emotions in a mystical and evocative way.” While each track focuses on different aspects of one’s journey—“The Landing,” “The Dawn,” “The Dream,” etc.—the two tracks that best encapsulate this theme are the penultimate and final tracks—“The Boat, pt.1” and “The Boat, pt. 2.” This essence is also captured through the cover art which depicts an olden time maritime vessel being set upon by a Kraken. The image has the heft and weight of woodcut and is done in a monochrome of muted brown. The curious thing is that ‘part one’ is almost five minutes long and ‘part two’ is a scant 54 seconds—but it’s ‘part two’ that’s likely to stick with you. It has a slight vibe of ARMEGEDDON’s “The Buzzard” from 1975 but eight minutes shorter. My favorite track on the album for its raw essentialism.

As for the other tracks, they’re all fair examples of modern Alternative Rock. There’s a little Prog vibe going on, maybe a little Stoner, but despite the guitar focus, things never get too heavy, keeping the album solidly in the Rock lane. Vocals are all clean, solos are proficient but well-heeled, and the rhythm section gets interesting with a few breaks allowing Marco (bass) some free rein which he makes good use of. 

There’s not a whole lot of innovation going on here. This is a very middle of the road band that sounds like they’re trying to find their footing, which is ironic given their name—I mean, the theme of ‘finding your way,’ aka ‘sbarco,’ is exactly what the album seeks to explore so it really is a nice fit. Best tracks are “The Landing,” released as the band’s first single and video; the aforementioned “The Boat” parts one and two; and “The Dream,” an acoustic number that comes right at mid-album.

Altogether, SBARCO’s debut album marks a good starting point for the trio, their initial landing if you will. It’s a well formulated album but maybe needs a little more unbridled passion. It’ll be interesting to see where they go with their future releases, but for right now this debut deserves a listen.