There is a peculiar darkness in nostalgia, a soft trap that seduces us with polished memories and whispers of a past that feels untouched by the grim hands of time. Yet, to become ensnared in such sentiments, to let the mind linger too long on what was, is to risk rendering the present insignificant, and the future a dim shadow. The danger lies in mistaking remembrance for progress, in glorifying what cannot be retrieved, and allowing it to fester as a hindrance, not a guide. The past, after all, is dressed in illusions of simpler pleasures and gentler sorrows, painted over with selective memory that erases the details we’d rather not recall.
To shape a future worthy of hope, one must turn from nostalgia’s siren call—a call that soothes with images of what once was, but blurs the path ahead. True progress calls for clear-eyed resolve, rooted in the lessons of yesterday without dwelling in its arms. For growth is a creature of action and the present, not of wistful gazes cast backward.
Italian darkwaver Ash Code, having paused live performances to attend to family, now return to their music with intensified fervour. Their latest track, Nostalgia, explores memory’s eerie persistence, where love fades and lives become lost in contradictions, held captive by echoes of what was. With each haunting refrain, they call nostalgia a “crime,” exposing the aching trap of lingering in past shadows and resisting the forward push toward freedom.
“The song acts as a reminder not to become trapped in nostalgia or fixated on the idea that the past was somehow better than what the future holds,” says Alessandro Belluccio. “It’s a personal message to break free from that mindset and allow myself to look forward with a sense of excitement and optimism. I’m urging myself to embrace what lies ahead with open-mindedness, seeing new possibilities and welcoming change with positivity.”
“The video aims to evoke nostalgia and wonder, like finding and playing an old cassette,” says director Elio De Filippo. “Shot with a 90s Sony Camcorder and a DIY video synth, it recreates the authenticity of the underground, where the urgency to express an idea outweighs aesthetics. Using amateur tools and analog techniques has become our style, blending sounds of the past with visions of the future.”
Watch the video for “Nostalgia” below:
Listen to Nostalgia at the link below and order here.
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