Introducing #229 - Bonnie Trash
Let us introduce you to Canadian-Italian sisters Emmalia and Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor - otherwise known as drone-rock duo Bonnie Trash. They have just released their new single ‘Teeth’ - which gives us the first tastes of their debut album, which is due out later this year via Hand Drawn Dracula.
The music of Bonnie Trash connects the threads between metal, post-punk, shoegaze and gothic rock, with Emmalia’s astounding guitar work recalling the likes of Black Sabbath, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Joy Division and My Bloody Valentine. Singer/drummer/lyricist Sarafina’s voice leaps out of the mix with a commanding presence, summoning references to PJ Harvey or Siouxsie & the Banshees.
They took a moment to talk to us about their music.
Hey Bonnie Trash - how are you? So your new track ‘Teeth’ is out now - can you tell us what the song is about?
Hello! Lovely to connect with you. We are quite delighted to have shared our first single, “Teeth” with the world, and thrilled to be working with Hand Drawn Dracula. At this time, we’re taking life day by day, and enjoying how great it is to be alive, to be in this world. We lost our Nonna Maria a month ago and she meant everything to us. She’s an integral part of our music and songwriting. “Teeth” is based on one of her stories of being haunted and followed by a curse in her hometown of San Zenone degli Ezzelini in Treviso, Italy.
It is the first taster of your new album? What can we expect from that? And when can we hear it?
’Teeth’ is the first glimpse of our new album and it is definitely the lightest track. It gets a lot darker from here on out. The album is a collection of horror stories told by our Nonna Maria spoken in Veneto dialect, a language that is dying out. Her stories are then reinterpreted by us, her grandchildren. In a way, the act of songwriting has also become an act of cultural preservation. You can hear the entire album later this year.
Where are you from and what are your favorite things to do there?
We are from Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It’s about an hour west of Toronto. Some of our favourite things to do in Guelph include catching our friends playing live shows, hiking, campfires, and playing Dungeons and Dragons. There’s a great music scene here, and many of our friends are musicians, like Cots, Nicolette and The Nobodies, and Habit, just to name a few.
What are the key influences when it comes to your music?
We are influenced by ancestral folklore, folk stories, horror movies, death, and communication theory. The way we communicate and understand each other in modern technology is much more consuming than it has ever been; we watch each other, eat each other, haunt each other, and behave in tune with the stories we create. Every part of us is a complex collection of stories we have embodied. Some are shared from our ancestors, some are built out of experiences, and some are what we watch on greasy little phone screens. Horror is a way to show the absurdity of norms by subverting them. And folk stories are so good that they last generations.
In terms of music: Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Joy Division, Black Sabbath, and My Bloody Valentine are key musical influences.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never listened to your music before?
Your favourite nightmare.
