Ex-Unsane Bassist Prioritizes Focus on Genocide in Gaza Versus Drama With Past Bandmates on Baratro’s New LP
The 200-year-old sonnet known as “Ozymandias” returned to the public discourse this year when Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly referenced it to Trump – who was, probably for the best, apparently oblivious to the gist of the story. In essence, “Ozymandias” is an allusion to a once-powerful but increasingly irrelevant superpower unaware that it is being overtaken by a younger rival empire with momentum on its side.
For fear of sounding grandiose, “Ozymandias” could perhaps be applied as well to two interrelated bands, one of which achieved significant popularity in its heyday but now appears to be sputtering; and the other a relatively young upstart group that could very well position itself to eclipse its elder relative.
The bands in question are Unsane and Baratro, which are both cut from the same cloth – noise-rock. For lack of a better term, the connective tissue between the groups is one Dave Curran, who played bass in Unsane from 1994 to 2000; and then again when Unsane reactivated, from 2003 to 2018. For those allergic to math, that’s a lot of mileage for a musician to commit to a band – 22 years – even if Curran wasn’t a founding member of his former outfit.
Meanwhile, Unsane vocalist/guitarist Chris Spencer is the only original member that the New York-bred band boasts in its three-person lineup – despite the band’s inactivity from 2000 to 2003 and 2019 to 2021. A few weeks ago saw the publication of a rare interview with Spencer, in which he discussed having achieved peace of mind and rediscovering his love for playing live.
Now we bring you an interview with Curran, frontman for Italy-based Baratro, in which he tells his side of the story. The conversation took place in May, around the time record label Supernatural Cat issued the band’s second studio record, No Comply. The bold effort revolves heavily around Israel’s genocide in Gaza, a topic that the vast majority of musicians continue to avoid addressing to the deep dismay of those who value human rights.
A statement issued around the time of the album’s release stated that No Comply “was written while the band watched in horror the escalation of the genocide in Gaza and the rise of fascism on a global scale. These feelings inevitably poured into the music, running through the underlying theme of the entire record: No Comply is the band’s direct testimony in the face of the darkest tendencies of our time, and a firm refusal to give in to despair.”
Were you in talks to rejoin Unsane when it reunited in 2021, or was it a foregone conclusion that wouldn’t occur? The more details you can provide, the better.
I was not in talks to rejoin. It was indeed a foregone conclusion that would not happen. [Current Baratro and former Unsane drummer] Vinny [Signorelli] and I had left [Unsane] in 2018 and felt our time there had run its course. I had also recently moved to Italy and was looking forward to making a new life for myself there.
[Note: Signorelli and the mighty Eugene S. Robinson both make guest appearances on Baratro’s No Comply.]
Did you form Baratro after it became clear you wouldn’t be getting back together with Unsane, or were the two developments completely unrelated?
Baratro formed in a fairly organic way and had nothing to do with me leaving Unsane. During the first year or two after I had left the band, I was busy touring doing sound for various other bands. When I was back home in Italy and touring had slowed down, my buddy Federico [Hartridge, guitarist] and I decided to start jamming together. After a few weeks, we had seven or eight songs ready to go. Fede was friends with a really good drummer (Luca Antonozzi, formerly of Marnero) and invited him to come play with us, and as they say the rest is history.
What were the first ideas you had for this project — perhaps before you even had a name, had jammed with the other guys and/or written any material? Those ideas could be topical, musical or just imagistic.
Initiallym Fede and I started playing songs I had written for Unsane and my other band, Pigs, that never made it to record. We reworked them and started making plans to record. Once Luca [Antonozzi, formerly of Marnero and Laghetto] joined, we started writing songs all together and compiled the best ones to use for our first EP [January 2021’s Terms and Conditions]. All this was done before we even had a name. We threw around a bunch of ideas for the band name and settled on Baratro. I wanted the project to have an Italian name.
Did you bring those ideas to the table, begin to execute them and see them through to fruition? Or did the project evolve more organically – even spontaneously – through jam sessions and collaborations?
A bit of both! As I mentioned before, the starting point was working on songs I had already written which then morphed into the songs we recorded on our first EP.
As Baratro began to take hold, did you find that one member ascended – deliberately or not – to take leadership of the band, whether it be in terms of musical and songwriting direction, or managing the less savory (i.e. administrative) tasks that needed handling?
It naturally turned into a collaborative effort. We’re lucky that there’s an ease to writing songs together. Luca took over the more administrative tasks, as he already was running his own label and had good contacts to get us going. Fede designed the first record cover, and I did the layout for the insert. We always make decisions together and move forward accordingly.
What shape did Baratro take as it developed from newborn to toddler? Did any of those developments surprise any of you, or did the trajectory play out pretty much as you had in mind?
The only thing that somewhat surprised us was how quickly we were able to get the band off the ground. In the span of about eight months, we were able to form the band, write and release a record, and start playing show – which was really the main thing we wanted to do. We never really had any particular trajectory in mind. We just wanted to put in the work we knew needed to be done to start playing shows and making records. The rest we leave to fate.
What itch does Baratro scratch that Unsane did not?
Well, they’re different analgesics altogether. Ha! I suppose the fact that we were able to develop songs I had already written and give them new life with a new sound was gratifying. I hate wasting time and effort, so not letting those die out was a good scratch to those itches.
What are the greatest challenges Baratro has faced and is facing thus far?
The greatest challenge so far is finding a booking agent. As we all have jobs and can’t commit to long tours like I used to do, we’re booking our own shows for the time being. Nonetheless, slowly but surely, things are starting to look up on that front. It’s just a question of being able to book enough decent paying shows so we can get out there and come home with enough to live off of.
What aspects of the material you’ve written thus far do you find most satisfying, and in what way(s)?
I’m satisfied with everything we’ve written. The addition of our friend Matteo Bennici [cellist] to the band, in my opinion, has elevated the songwriting in general. He played cello as a guest on the last track of Sweet Smell of Unrest, our first full-length album [released in February 2024], and turned an already-written track into something special. We became fast friends and asked him to join the band permanently; he graciously accepted. We then wrote No Comply entirely with him. It was a really fun process to be able to let the songs breathe a bit more, to leave some space for the cello to define parts and moods.
Who is the weak link in the band?
Me!
For more on Baratro, visit their Bandcamp page.
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