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Formed between Bergamo and Milan at the end of 2019, Buscemi’s Eyes are back on the scene with Movie Core, their first full-length. Known for their intense and innovative approach, the band’s style blends Hardcore Punk, Rock’n’Roll and a heartfelt homage to Cinema. Each track on Movie Core pays tribute to a film featuring Steve Buscemi, with lyrics inspired by characters, scenes, and themes from his career. The album is a dynamic experience, a cinematic sound journey that takes the listener through a raw and powerful musical landscape. The lead single, Buscemi’s Eyes, sets the tone with a fierce sound and a video that’s rich in Tarantino-esque references, offering a glimpse into the album’s visual and sonic intensity. Featuring guest vocals from Olga (Svetlanas) and produced by PierPaolo Alessi at Gotama Studio, Movie Core is a labor of love from a group of veterans of the Lombard Hardcore scene. The Punk Site caught up with the band to discuss the concept of Movie Core, their passion for cinema, and what’s next for Buscemi’s Eyes.
First of all, congratulations on the release of “Movie Core”! Can you tell us what inspired you to base an entire album on Steve Buscemi’s filmography?
“Thank you so much for the congratulations and for the time and space you’re dedicating to us. It’s a real pleasure to be here. To be honest, several factors led us to base the entire album on Steve Buscemi’s movies. The first is undoubtedly the name we chose for the band. When we came up with it, we didn’t foresee this path—it started as a kind of joke. We loved the actor, his movies, and his expressive, multifaceted, and unique look that’s instantly recognizable. But as we worked on a song and struggled to find good lyrics, the idea struck us: why not draw inspiration from or use quotes from Steve’s movies and characters? It worked for us, and we realized something simple yet profound: we love movies for the same reason we love songs—they evoke emotions. In many of them, we see ourselves, our feelings, and situations we’ve experienced. That’s when we started thinking about creating an entire album where we could express ourselves through the music we love, paired with scenes, plots, and scripts from Steve Buscemi’s filmography that have left a lasting impact on us.”
“Buscemi’s Eyes” has a very intense sound and a video that visually amplifies the song’s energy. Can you tell us more about the idea behind this song and how you created the music video?
““Buscemi’s Eyes” is actually the song we mentioned earlier—the one that inspired us to draw from Buscemi’s movies. During our first rehearsal as a band, we composed three tracks, but we only had lyrics for two. Then came the epiphany: the piercing look in Buscemi’s eyes in Reservoir Dogs, one of our favorite films. Mr. Pink finds himself in an unexpected and dangerous situation where everything has gone wrong, nothing is clear, and he can’t trust anyone. Everyone has likely experienced similar feelings in different contexts—feeling alone and unable to make sense of what’s happening. We felt that perspective was worth exploring in our song, blending the character’s words with our own. The music video idea came to us immediately: a tribute to the most iconic scenes from Reservoir Dogs. We were excited but also nervous—it’s not easy to pay visual homage to such a masterpiece! Thankfully, we found the right director who understood our vision and worked tirelessly to make it happen. Organizing everything, finding and setting up locations, and acting on set as Tarantino’s iconic characters was both inspiring and challenging—but it was so much fun! We can’t wait to shoot the next one.”
Your musical style combines Hardcore Punk, Rock’n’Roll, and some stoner elements. How did you arrive at this sound, and what do you feel each genre brings to the project?
“Our sound developed very naturally, simply by playing together what we enjoy, without forcing our personal styles. This band started as a side project—or perhaps better described as a “spin-off project”—of other bands active in the Italian Hardcore Punk scene over the past decades. We knew each other and became friends through touring and sharing stages. In our other bands, we typically played old-school Hardcore in Italian, so we wanted to try something different. We didn’t ignore our roots but aimed to write in a way that slightly distanced itself from our other projects. The result is what you hear in our records: Hardcore Punk (which is integral to who we are) blended with various influences that reflect our individual styles but didn’t always fit into our original bands. With this project, we don’t worry about sticking to a single genre or mixing different styles. Every time we meet in the rehearsal room, we have no idea what will emerge. The music we listen to and the bands we admire all influence us, becoming ingredients in a recipe we create unconsciously.”
What was it like recording and producing “Movie Core”? Could you share some insights into the creative process at Gotama Studio?
“There’s so much to say, but we’re not sure we can call it a “creative process,” as everything we do tends to be very instinctive for many reasons. One major challenge is that we live in different cities and lead very busy lives, so it wasn’t easy to plan time to practice and then record. When we arrived at Gotama Studio, we had just a few hours to record the eight songs we had prepared. The remaining four songs (as Movie Core has 12 tracks) were written and recorded on the first day of the sessions, during the drum tracking—something we still can’t quite believe! Many of the backing guitars and vocals were improvised in the studio. We recorded everything we could to have options during the mixing process. As for the recording and mixing, we’re very old-school. We aimed to capture our live sound and attitude in the simplest and most natural way possible—raw and lo-fi, as we’re used to. Despite the tight schedule, we’re happy with the results.”
The album’s lyrics bring listeners into the world of Steve Buscemi’s films. Do you have any favorite scenes or characters that influenced the songwriting?
As mentioned earlier, Mr. Pink and Reservoir Dogs lit the initial spark, but we’re deeply in love with many of Steve’s roles. His filmography explores and narrates various aspects of human nature and conditions from different perspectives, blending tragedy with comedy, violence with humor, and introspection with pure fun. You can describe life through his movies and characters. We feel close to Seymour’s cynicism in Ghost World and the foolish enthusiasm of the bass player in Airheads. We know the freezing despair of Fargo when nothing works, and sometimes, we’ve felt like Donny in The Big Lebowski. We admire how Steve brings irony and realism to his characters. In Movie Core, we tried to channel all of this into music. These movies, scenes, and characters didn’t just influence the songwriting—they defined it.
The physical release of Movie Core includes limited edition clear red and clear vinyl, as well as numbered CD digipacks. How important is the physical medium to the band, especially in this digital age?
“This is a topic we care deeply about. A physical copy is important for several reasons. Firstly, there’s something special about holding a tangible product—the result of the band’s hard work, the sound engineer’s skill, the graphic designer’s creativity, and the effort of everyone involved. That’s why we’re all music collectors—true vinyl, CD, and tape addicts. Another reason is that buying physical records directly supports artists, motivating and helping them continue their creative work in ways the digital era cannot. We’re not entirely against digital music or streaming platforms—they’ve made it easier for people to discover new artists, which is great. But they’ve also changed how people engage with music. Everything feels so fast and superficial, risking a negative impact on both audiences and artists. When we were kids, discovering new music wasn’t easy, and when you found a tape, CD, or vinyl, you treasured it. You listened intently, read the booklets, and connected with the faces behind the music. Buying a physical album shows genuine appreciation for musicians. Attending their shows is another way to do that.”
After the album release show on November 22, what’s next for Buscemi’s Eyes? Can we expect more shows or projects exploring this unique blend of music and cinema?
“Yes, more shows are coming in the new year! We’ll announce all the gigs in late December on our pages and Gotama Studio’s channels, so stay tuned and get ready to join the pit! We’ll try to tour and play as much as we can, balancing our busy lives with our passion for music. We’ll also write and release new material in the future, and cinema will likely play a part—maybe not as extensively as this time, but it’ll be there. And of course, we’ll make more music videos. After shooting Buscemi’s Eyes and the feedback we received, we might even consider a career in acting—haha!”