Talk To Her interview: ‘Detachment and isolation’
Talk To Her
For several years now, the Italian band Talk To Her has been moving through the shadowy regions where Post-Punk, Dark-Wave, and alternative Rock meet eachother. With their debut album “Love Will Come Again”, Talk To Her made their mark thanks to a melancholic sound that blended dark guitars and atmospheric synths with introspective lyrics.
Talk To Her has now returned with a new full-length album, “Pleasure Loss Desire”, released on Shyrec Records (Italy) and Icy Cold Records (France), where their sound appears noticeably darker, more intense, and more emotionally charged. On this album, Talk To Her explores themes of alienation, loss, and the fragile balance between desire and disillusionment. Talk To Her translates these ideas into a sound that feels both compelling and oppressive: pulsating rhythms, icy synth layers, and a distinctly Post-Punk energy that imbues the songs with a strong sense of urgency. In connection with this new release, I had a chat with Talk To Her’s Andrea Visaggio. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Talk To Her interview
‘Q: The new Talk To Her album, “Pleasure Loss Desire”, was released five years after your successful debut, “Love Will Come Again”. You clearly took your time developing the new material, but what was the initial impetus behind this new work, and what kind of album did it ultimately become?
Andrea: After “Love Will Come Again”, we wanted to question many of the elements that had defined us and push our sound further. The initial impulse came from the pandemic — the isolation and the internal changes we experienced. At first, we imagined a rougher, angrier, more Punk-driven record. However, intense post-Covid touring delayed the writing process, giving us time to absorb new emotions and experiences. While traces of that early energy remain in tracks like “Someone Else” and “In Echoes”, the album evolved into something more layered and introspective.
“Pleasure Loss Desire” embraces a wider emotional spectrum: cold and aggressive in tone, rooted in Wave and Post-Punk, with strong late-’90s/early-2000s post and alternative Rock influences.
Q: Speaking about the pandemic, the Talk To Her album “Love Will Come Again” was released during that period, which meant you had to postpone performing in front of a live audience. Since then, you’ve played a number of important festivals and completed several tours. How have you grown and evolved as a live band, and which moments stand out as particularly significant?
Andrea: The post-pandemic experience has been extremely rewarding, and it gave Talk To Her the opportunity to grow tremendously as a live band. The response we received compensated for the long months of waiting.
In our view, the truest expression of an artist happens on stage, where it is possible to transmit far more energy and a wider emotional range. For this reason, we constantly strive to enhance our live performance — especially now that we are presenting the new show based on “Pleasure Loss Desire”. It is difficult to single out specific moments, because doing so would exclude many others that contributed to our growth and that we carry with us. Key milestones that must be mentioned include Wave Gothic Treffen (Leipzig, Germany), Sinner’s Day Festival (Belgium) and Post Punk Strikes Back Again (Porto, Portugal).
Q: “Pleasure Loss Desire” feels like a very personal and introspective record. What drove you in this direction, and what is the deeper meaning behind the album’s title and lyrics? How do you, as individuals, reflect on the broader evolution currently taking place in our society?
Andrea: Although the themes explored in “Pleasure Loss Desire” represent a new direction compared to our previous records, our music always reflects what we feel and what troubles us. We wanted to create a cold record, and for this reason — except for subtle references — we deliberately chose not to include the romantic component, effectively excluding love. The central theme underlying the album is detachment and isolation. In a world that no longer reflects what we would like to be, detachment becomes a necessary defense — a refuge that numbs pain, but which over time restrains us, turning into a suffocating trap. The imagined setting is therefore a cold abyss in which one is immersed, where the shifting emotions that alternate from track to track (desire, suffering, nostalgia, hope, fear) define its reflections.
Undoubtedly, the themes that fueled our writing describe a trajectory that began during the Covid-19 pandemic and extends into the present, shaped by strong political, economic, and social uncertainty. Despite the deeply introspective nature of the lyrics, the narrative of “Pleasure Loss Desire” unfolds against the backdrop of the events that have marked the past five years. During the writing process, we realized that it could potentially describe the emotional state of many people around the world —especially those of our generation (Millennials).
Q: Looking back at the composition and production of this Talk To Her album, what was your modus operandi? How are roles divided within the band, and how do you handle creative disagreements when they arise?
Andrea: We make our music from a collective composition process. In practice, after defining macro-guidelines (themes, sounds, imagery), the first step in creating a new track is always improvisation. The parts are then refined, the song reorganized, pre-produced, and eventually enhanced with new elements that also emerge from collective studio work. The lyrics come at the very end and are written by me. This approach allows each of us to contribute our influences and stylistic nuances, resulting in an original blend that represents us all. Achieving this balance sometimes requires multiple revisions and adjustments, and yes, differing opinions can arise. In those cases, we discuss things thoroughly until we find a solution; when that proves impossible, we usually choose to take a completely different direction.
Q: How did the production process influence the final shape and atmosphere of the songs? Were there any major developments or changes in your approach compared to your previous album?
Andrea: In our view, the production process should enhance the available material and amplify the concept envisioned for the record. Compared to “Love Will Come Again”, we chose to work with two producers, separating the recording and mixing phases: recording with Maurizio Baggio (Soft Moon, Boy Harsher) and mixing with Edoardo Pellizzari, who produced our previous records.
Working with Maurizio for the first time brought out the best of us in the studio and was undoubtedly an experience that helped Talk To Her grow both musically and artistically. Together, we also revisited certain passages in several songs, refining them or making them flow more naturally. The record then moved into Edoardo’s hands, who — knowing us perfectly — was able to fine-tune the sonic textures and overall balance of the tracks, faithfully following our initial vision: we wanted a cold record, at times ethereal, at times sharp, and his meticulous and almost obsessive studio work was impeccable.
Q: Some of the songs feel as if they were made for a Soundtrack. Do you have any concrete plans or ambitions in that direction, and what can your fans expect from you this year?
Andrea: We are always pleased when this is pointed out. Much of our music originates from images we define beforehand, allowing Talk To Her to create an environment that, together with the lyrics, can immerse the listener in our world. We have not yet received any requests to compose a Soundtrack, but it would certainly be a very exciting challenge.
In 2026, we will primarily focus on live activity, doing everything possible to reach our fans across Europe and present our new show. We do not plan to release new music this year, but we are already thinking about the next step: we would be happy to release something new as early as 2027.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
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