Mawpit’s latest single is a lament about love, with their heavy rock flair.
“Cittagazze” has lead singer Cait Johansen begging her lover to stay in their relationship, screaming throughout the chorus “please don’t leave”. The song begins with a soft guitar part and almost ambient keyboard part underneath, before the full band comes in during the chorus. It is at this point that it really starts to feel like a Mawpit song! I really applaud the band for trying something new with this song, as it doesn’t feel as musically ‘heavy’ as their other tracks “Eat a Corpse” and “Nature’s Curse”. It’s also thematically different, exploring human relationships and love rather than political and social issues such as climate change.
In fact, the word “Cittagazze” is Italian for city of magpies. This word was first shown in the drama TV show His Dark Materials, as one of the parallel worlds the characters explore in the show’s second season. It is clear that Mawpit are fans of this show, as the song is inspired by the relationship of two of the characters, Lyra and Will.
One of my favourite parts of this song is the section just before the final chorus, where vocalist Cait becomes more vulnerable and quiet. This is so pretty, and really allows the band to encompass all the emotions of dealing with heartbreak. This is the main thing I think “Cittagazze” does really well: showing the emotions of love through the music. When Cait is begging for the lover to stay in the chorus, the music is heavy and loud, representing the desperation and anger you normally feel in this situation. In this final chorus, she moves to the feelings of sadness and worry, and the music reflects this.
Overall, I really enjoyed listening to “Cittagazze”. It’s both musically and lyrically interesting and strong, with catchy melodies, emotional lyrics and full-blown rock instrumentals. I think this is personally my favourite of Mawpit’s songs so far. It has the perfect mix of rock and emotion. Well done to Mawpit for consistently putting out great singles in 2020. I look forward to what they have in store for 2021!
Listen to “Cittagazze” here:
https://mawpit.bandcamp.com/track/citt-gazze
