
New Candys
Hi-Dive
∙
Denver
Tuesday, May 12 at 7 pm MDT
Concert Venue
Tuesday, May 12 at 7 pm MDT
Concert Venue
Entry Options
Details
Description
**Concocted with the darkest deviant rock'n'roll ethos and distinctive melodic distortions, New Candys have established themselves as one of the most compelling bands to emerge from Italy in recent years. Founded by songwriter and singer-guitarist Fernando Nuti alongside bassist and synth player Dario Lucchesi, the lineup is completed by Emanuele Zanardo on lead guitar and backing vocals and Francesco Sicchieri on drums and sampler.**
**Signed to the cult record label Fuzz Club, the band is recognized for its unfiltered artistic approach and versatility, seamlessly blending aggressive, gritty sounds with dreamy, introspective tones. The symbolism of their hometown, Venezia, often permeates their music, which explores surreal and sometimes cryptic themes.**
*New Candys' live shows have gained them a reputation as a must-see act, growing a fanbase through extensive touring across Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. Festival appearances include SXSW, Treefort, Psycho Las Vegas, Levitation France, Fuzz Club Eindhoven and Liverpool Psych Fest, as well as headlining the Sydney and Melbourne Psych Fests and recording live sessions for KEXP and Jam In The Van. They’ve shared the stage with icons like The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Dandy Warhols and The Black Angels, performing at historic venues such as L'Olympia in Paris, Roundhouse in London and Huxleys Neue Welt in Berlin. Iggy Pop described them as "kinky", and their songs have been featured in episodes of Showtime’s original series Shameless.*
**New Candys** make a powerful return in 2025 with the release of their highly anticipated fifth album, ‘The Uncanny Extravaganza’, via Fuzz Club. Marking a bold evolution in the band’s sound, the album blends their signature rock roots with electronic influences and cutting-edge production, resulting in a genre-defying sonic experience. It also opens a fresh chapter for the band, showcasing a new lineup with core members Fernando Nuti (vocals, guitar, synth, programming) and Dario Lucchesi (bass, synth, programming), alongside Emanuele Zanardo (guitar, backing vocals) and Francesco Giacomin (drums, percussion, sampler). This record follows their 2021 release, ‘Vyvyd’, which led to shows across North America and Europe through late 2023.
The creation of ‘The Uncanny Extravaganza’ began in late 2022 when the band started working on new material. Nuti, the band’s primary songwriter, says: "It was an intense and exciting time. I had many songs and ideas that I wanted to try out with the band, and we ended up debuting ‘Crime Wave’ live. We don't live close to each other and can't rehearse very often, so using our home studios became the solution. This new process gave us the opportunity to experiment further, and it allowed me to quickly explore different arrangements to find the best one for each song".
Lucchesi’s growing interest in electronic music also played a pivotal role in shaping the album’s direction, making his transition from drums to bass a natural evolution. He elaborates: "The lineup change and the shift to bass created a situation where I could bring new ideas to the band. Working alone, with my own pace and methods, allowed me to explore and express myself more effectively. I found it refreshing to play remotely, exchanging projects and seeing the progress of the songs that both Fernando and I could work on, handling all the instruments and breaking away from the roles established on stage and on previous albums". Their collaboration resulted in standout tracks like ‘Regicide’ and ‘Night Surfer’, with contributions from Zanardo and Giacomin further enriching the band’s evolving sound, culminating in some of the best songs New Candys have ever written.
Production was handled by Maurizio Baggio (The Soft Moon, Boy Harsher), who worked closely with the band throughout 2024, spreading the recording sessions across the year to focus on individual tracks in detail. "After self-producing all our records, except for the first, we wanted to collaborate closely with Maurizio on this one", explains Nuti. "We're thrilled with the final result. With Vyvyd, we just scratched the surface of electronic elements, this time we fully embraced them and found a new balance. I couldn’t imagine us finishing a song using only the instruments we normally play live, it wouldn’t have been interesting, contemporary, or new enough. Also, I couldn’t have cared less about making a stylistically and genre-cohesive album. In fact, the less categorizable and the more bizarre it was, the happier we were. I wanted each track to feel unexpected, a constant surprise. Just when you think you’ve figured out what kind of record it is, the next song makes you realize you’re wrong".
The album's sonic variety, a hallmark of New Candys' music, is more pronounced than ever. Its title combines contrasting terms that reflect the band’s multifaceted artistic vision. From the aggressive, gritty sounds of ‘Regicide’ and ‘Crime Wave’ to the minimal, melancholic tones of ‘Aquawish’ and ‘Final Mission’, the record spans a wide range of styles. Tracks like ‘Night Surfer’ and ‘Wild Spaghetti West’ feature western and surf-influenced riffs, while ‘Cagehead’ and ‘You'll Never Know Yourself’ offer psychedelic outros.
Lyrically, the album delves into surreal and sometimes cryptic themes, with a recurring motif related to water, inspired by the band’s proximity to Venice. Nuti reflects on how everything underwater transforms, appearing dreamlike, distorted, inaccessible, and often lifeless, and uses this imagery metaphorically, relating it to reality to inspire both the lyrics and the artwork. The album also conveys a sense of rebellion, considering how the pandemic provided an opportunity to rethink priorities, a chance that world politics missed.
With ‘The Uncanny Extravaganza’, New Candys continue to evolve, blending their signature sound with fresh influences to create what is arguably their most compelling work to date. Released on May 30, 2025, the record is now available for fans to experience in full.
Presented by Hi-Dive.
This is a 21+ event

