Rome in Silver - ᖭ༏ᖫ “Dragonfly” Review

By Gabriel Matias Castilho

Rome in Silver (Vinny Pisciotta), a Californian music producer and DJ, encapsulates the introspection that Autumn brings with his debut album. “Dragonfly,” released in September 22, is an album that contains 13 of the purest and most sincere songs you can expect in an EDM-tailored compilation, showcasing the spectacle of human thought.

The album opens with this magical House track called “Waiting…”, a “coming of age song about getting older and realizing life is much more complex than we assume,” as according to Vinny himself. With calm vocals and an unobtrusive build-up to the drop, it avoids sounding like every other House track and easily transforms into an inspiration for your day.

My favorite song of the compilation, a semi-acoustic collaboration with Winnipeg-based singer Lhasa Petik, is called “I Don’t Wanna Be Here”, a song that questions our sense of belonging and independence. “Cloud9high”, a collaboration with Lisbon-based duo Vaarwell, shares this mood as it makes us wonder about who we have let down throughout our lives.

Then, a shift in mood happens as the House song, “Keep the Lights On”, featuring the musical duo Beach Season, takes the spotlight. Guitars, flutes, electric basses and synthesizers come together to build a clever musical-ridden drop. “Return of Love”, featuring Russian-based multi-instrumentalist Biicla and the artist Emida, is the perfect off-season summer House song. Once again, Biicla collaborates with Rome in Silver and the result is an utterly fantastic uplifting piece. The fire keeps burning on the Techno-style “Inferno”, which is undoubtedly the heaviest hitter in the album, a song that can get anybody off the ground.

“I was living in a desolate space with no one to turn to,” wrote Vinny when commenting on the inspiration for the Drum and Bass song “Better”. “We crave that connection with another person.”