Italian trio Platonick Dive have built their career around the notion that music is therapy and by definition, an essential part of our lives and evolution. This message being delivered through their new album Social Habits, which is their third full length and the first to include vocals throughout, could not be more timely. As our world descends into darkness and we collectively feel hopeless, Platonick Dive continue to find hope in the process of creating music. The latter has served as a form of self-therapy for them and it’s what drives their motivation to help others the same way through their music.
“Our country is in shambles and the ones in power use this as an opportunity to vilify marginalized people instead of fixing real problems,” says Marco Figliè, guitarist for the band, “But we are all humans and at the end of the day, we all seek to live in peace.” His feelings echo the current reality experienced on a global scale in every corner of the planet—a testament of a broken system that has affected every facet of our lives, where no one and nothing can escape unscathed. But for Platonick Dive, this is only an invitation to open their hearts further, “This is what we know how to do best—express our love through music.”
On Social Habits, they set out to accomplish that goal by teaming up with visual artist Ryan McKinnon (Macklemore) and creating a socially conscious album that is atypical for a band with their origins. Known for frequently producing loud and climatic music, Social Habits is characterized by a confidence in the calm that explores song layers in detail and in the process allows them room to breathe. The end result is an atmospheric and cinematic album that complements the band’s beliefs perfectly. Tackling issues of racism, sexism and homophobia head on in English, “the universal language,” Platonick Dive want the world to know these issues are not isolated to any specific location.
Despite living in a country that is not always fond or supportive of the genres they incorporate into their music—or the truths they speak through it —the band have managed to reach international success and share a stage with acts such as Explosions in the Sky, Blonde Redhead, Four Tet and many others. “It’s an artist’s job to speak the truth” is the motto they live by and what the project itself has come to symbolize. The strength of this belief can be felt in the raw energy prevalent in their music, where the electronics, beats and dream-like sound of guitars and synths create a complete therapeutic immersion.
Platonick Dive encourage listeners to not lose hope and to find meaning in the beautiful things that surrounded us—nature, art and the connections we share with loved ones. The relentless negativity in the world may feel overwhelming, but Platonick Dive are firm believers in the healing powers of music. The latter is precisely the purpose of their existence: for their music to serve as a cathartic healing process for the high tension we are currently dealing with. Life everywhere might collapse at any moment but the strength found in the perseverance of the human spirit always prevails, “Music and the bonds we create through it will carry us through” the band says, and they are determined to help heal and raise the collective consciousness.
Social Habits makes this possible, for its messages are global as much as they are personal— the mark of all true art.
Platonick Dive is on radio rotation with the track “Estuary”
Platonick Dive Online:
Official Site | Spotify | Bandcamp | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
