The Refrain Interview: Verse,Chorus,Inferno

Verse, Chorus, Inferno is a punk rock band from Como, Italy. The band started in 2007 as an “all star band” (with members from Staly Fish, Pankina and INhead) to fill in a tour that had been booked for another band. They played 10 gigs between Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands and had so much fun, they decided to be a permanent band. The band continued for a few years before drifting apart in 2010, when the members moved to different cities, got jobs, kids, and life took them on different paths…until 2020.

During lockdown, the band began working on new music and recorded their first full-length album. The band self-recorded the album at their home and rehearsal space.

We had the chance to ask Verse, Chorus, Inferno a couple questions as part of The Refrain Interview Series. Check it out below.

Refrain Music Blog: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. You have a new single out now. What’s it called?

Verse,Chorus,Inferno: “Dreams”. It’s a cover of the famous Fleetwood Mac song.

RMB: What is the song about, in terms of lyrics? Any overarching messages or themes?

VCI: Honestly, the lyrics were not so important for us. We loved the song for its melodies and we loved thwe “Doggface meme” that brought the spotlight back on this classic last year. That’s where the idea of covering it came from.

RMB: Is this single part of an album? If so tell us a little bit about that.

VCI: Yes, it is! It’s the second single from our upcoming album, “Flying a DeLorean to 2007”, out October 28th on Engineer Records, Eternalis Records, Pasidaryk Pats Records and High End Denim Records.

RMB: How does this single differ from your previous work?

VCI: We tried to be loyal to our style. Of course it’s a cover, so the melodies are a little bit different and “softer” than in our usual songs, but we feel like the song came out pretty well, respecting the pace and structure of the original, but with a much more powerful style.

RMB: What’s the story on how it was recorded? The Who, When, Where etc. Was it a long process or quick? Any good stories about the recording process?

VCI: Like all the songs of our new album, it was recorded in Milan during the lockdown, all DIY, mostly at home. We then mixed and mastered everything with Chris Fogal from Black in Bluhm Studios, who did a lot of the magic. Our friend Sandro for Forty Winks recorded the main vocals in a sunny sunday morning last march. We did a pizza party and it was a great day.

RMB: Tell us a little about the band. Who all is in it and how did you form? How long have you been together?

VCI: The band was born in 2007, to fill in a tour booked by our drummer’s main band at the time, INHead. They had to cancel the tour last minute for personal reason, and instead of losing everything we decided to put together a new band for the occasion. We were a mix of different local punk bands. We prepared a 10 songs show in a couple of weeks and left. It was a great time, and we had so much fun we decided to keep playing together. We played some 20 or 30 shows, mostly abroad, but then we went into different paths and split. 10 years later here we are, older but with the same spirit.

RMB: Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

VCI: We all come from Como. It’s a small city, but in the early 2000’s there were more than 80 bands in town. We all come from that scene, we always listened to punk rock and melodic hardcore. If we have to name 2 ore 3 of our fav bands that you can hear the influence of in our music, they’d probably be Alkaline Trio, Millencolin and Bouncing Souls.

RMB: What’s the one thing you are most proud of in your career so far?

VCI: Playing at the Dynamo in Zurich (great venue) all dressed as Teletubbies.

RMB: If you had to pitch your music to a potential fan in less than 10 seconds, what would you say?

VCI: VCI is a band of old friends. Meaning that we’re good friends, and we’re quite old.

RMB: What’s one piece of advice you’ve gotten that you think everyone needs to hear or that has meant the most to you?

VCI: When touring continental Europe in winter, never forget winter tires.

RMB: What’s coming up next for your musical project?

VCI: We’re super excited for the record to come out. It’s the first time we publish an LP with Verse, Chorus, Inferno, and the fact we could do it with 4 great labels from various places in the world make it even more exciting. But most of all, we can’t wait to go back on the road. We have 5 shows planned short term between Germany, Italy and France (including 2 release parties in Italy, one opening for Snuff at Bloom in Mezzago), and we will announce more soon. That’s what it’s all about: driving long hours for 30 minutes shows and long drinking nights.