Marta Del Grandi – ‘Dream Life’ album review: A mosaic of indie pop
Marta Del Grandi beckons us into her land of fairies for a multi-dimensional third album, Dream Life. The dreamy voice from Italy colours indie pop with shoegaze and choral folk, with a whole lot of unexpected instrumentation in between.
The Skinny: The self-written, partially self-produced record is a grand jump from Del Grandi’s past work. Her ambitious arrangements stray from 1980s-inspired synths to oboe and trombone counter-melodies, groovy electric elements, all to bring vibrant stories to life. Her sentimental narration reaches from the choral to the eerie, bridging rock innovation with the afterlife.
Her jazz training is brought to the fore with an upbeat twist, with trumpets echoing her lively percussion as she takes on themes of nostalgia and climate anxiety. Her genre-splitting transitions indicate a determination to invoke as many musical movements and varieties of instrumentations as her spirited ten songs have room for, which, in the case of a band, may run a chance of coming across as rather pretentious.
However, as a solo act, her mystical changes of character validate a virtuous range without overwhelming the listener.
Her spirited feat, although possibly lacking in structure, has a spontaneous touch evocative of innocence and play. I could have done with a little less synth, since some harsh electric guitar can be too weary a contrast to the nicely built texture growing organically in most of the album, but Del Grandi’s sentimental lyrics nestle nicely between the listener’s rib cages with an impression that’s there to stay. Her balanced duality feels like a creative frolic, with some onomatopoeic intermissions that really illustrate a curious child poking around pots and pans with a magic wand.
The Milan-based artist’s fresh and engaging exploration of indie music is heart-bearing, raw, and rebellious. What she overdoes in spunk is neutralised in vulnerability, and definitely brings a uniquely eclectic medley into being. You’ll leave the album asking, What would I call what I just listened to?
The Verdict: brave, reflective, chaotic, Dream Life will take you on a journey you might still not understand by its end, but that’s the point. A dramatic spectrum of genres and frantic narratives, Del Grandi’s work is a necessary reminder that music should be fun.
Standout Track: ‘Antarctica’
Release Date: January 26th, 2026 | Producer: Bert Vliegen & Marta Del Grandi | Label: Fire records
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