With yet another enthralling appetizer, Fil Bo Riva intensifies the anticipation regarding his upcoming album “Beautiful Sadness”, proving how diverse Fil Bo Rivas musical language is, all the while clearly lined by singer and mastermind Filippo Bonamici’s characteristic heart-on-sleeve style. After the indie stomp of his last single “Go Rilla”, “L’over”, an irresistible and wonderfully tender paean to loneliness and broken hearts, gets the listener with its folky sweetness which gradually unfolds into a grand and anthemic Adriano-Celentano-Intermezzo.

One day after the studio I was in a restaurant with [guitarist] Felix Remm and [producer] Robert Stephenson. While chatting about relationships and the little “problems” that come with it… including the fact that I usually don’t write about very positive things, I started fancying the idea of writing a song about it. It took me a few days to find the right chords and put it all straight forward, cos I wanted it to sound a little ironic but still simple and honest. Most of the songs I write take their inspiration from something painful, a complicated heartbreak for example and sometimes this can make someone else not feel comfortable… I guess it’s something we’ve all been through. I think the song is trying to celebrate this weird twist of feelings – it’s pretty much an homage to the little ups and downs that come with every liaison, a song inspired by that incredible strange feeling that we call jealousy.

Bonamici was born and grew up in Rome before moving to Ireland in his early teens, with his musical education forming and developing gradually. Eventually, this passion pushed him to Berlin in 2012, where after several years of study and musical abstinence, he discovered fresh inspiration and positive distractions that shaped his songwriting. Such new motivation led to the formation, in early 2015, of the project that is Fil Bo Riva.

Some early demos caught the attention of producer Robert Stephenson, who took Bonamici and Remm into the studio to record what would become their first EP, If You’re Right, It’s Alright. The Berlin based project started to garner significant attention after the release of debut single ‘Like Eye Did’ in 2016, and after multiple support slots – most notably with Matt Corby and Milky Chance – the next step had to be taken.

Take it they did: 2017 and 2018 have proven to be watershed years, entailing their first headline shows, three internationally sold out tours, and performances at some of the biggest, most important European festivals such as Great Escape, Eurosonic and Montreux Jazz Festival and thus bringing them some serious acclaim and a raft of new fans. All this, mind you, on the back of a single EP.

The next big steps are soon to be made – “L’over” is foretaste of the incredibly diversified debut album “Beautiful Sadness”, the artists defining musical statement, which will be released in spring 2019.

“Italian songwriter Fil Bo Riva has something special. There’s a deftness of touch in his work, an ability to truly engross that makes him stand out.” – Clash Magazine

“Dynamic in multiple dimensions.” – Indie Obsessive

“…dulcet indie vocals reminiscent of Johnny Borrell (plus a heap of alto thrown in for good measure) with the vibrant twang of tingling guitar layers.” – One Stop Record Shop
“Berlin-based, Italian-born musician Fil Bo Riva is a smorgasbord of European influences, all of which are melted together in a crockpot of infectious indie pop. The new single ‘Go Rilla’ is compelling, full of flavour and contemporary rhythms.” – The National Student