September 16, 2026

Corde Oblique release ‘Emma’, the first single from ‘All’ombra dei fanciulli in fiore’

Corde Oblique released the single “Emma” on September 11, 2026, the first track from their tenth studio album on Dark Vinyl Records.

Corde Oblique, "Emma" single cover art
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Naples dark folk act Corde Oblique released the single “Emma” on September 11, 2026, the first track from their tenth studio album, “All’ombra dei fanciulli in fiore” (In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower), due November 27 on German label Dark Vinyl Records. The title references Marcel Proust and centers on parenthood.

‘Emma’ previews a 12-track album recorded in Naples and mastered at Abbey Road

Corde Oblique, led by composer and art historian Riccardo Prencipe, recorded “All’ombra dei fanciulli in fiore” between Peppino di Capri’s Splash Studios in Naples and London, where it was mastered at Abbey Road Studios by Alex Wharton. The album runs 12 tracks plus a bonus track, mixed by Massimo Aluzzi, and moves across metal, prog rock, folk songwriting and dark wave elements. The band’s core lineup on the record is Prencipe on classical and electric guitar, Alfredo Notarloberti on violin, Alessio Sica on drums, Umberto Lepore on bass and Rita Saviano on vocals. Guest contributors include singer-songwriter Andrea Chimenti, a voice of the Italian New Wave scene, on three tracks, and actress Maddalena Crippa, who provides a spoken-word performance. The digipak and booklet use vintage 1980s photographs of Pozzuoli and the Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields), tying the album to the region where it was recorded.

Corde Oblique open a promotional tour on October 24 at the Schwarzer Herbst Festival in Löbau, Germany, followed by Italian dates at Teatro Bolivar in Naples on November 20 and at Improve in Castelfranco Veneto on November 21.

About Corde Oblique

Corde Oblique is an Italian dark folk project founded and led by Naples-based composer and art historian Riccardo Prencipe. Side-Line has followed the band’s output since at least 2018, and covered their 2020 album “The Moon Is a Dry Bone.” “Emma” and the accompanying album “All’ombra dei fanciulli in fiore” mark the band’s tenth full-length and its first new release on Dark Vinyl Records, continuing a catalog built on the intersection of classical guitar, folk songwriting and darker, heavier textures.

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