Tag Archive for: Bonnie Trash

BONNIE TRASH, Canadian-Italian twin sisters Emmalia and Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor, share “Shades Of You” video from their new Hail, Hale! EP out March 1st worldwide via Hand Drawn Dracula.

The EP is also included as bonus tracks on the new deluxe CD edition of their debut album Malocchio, also out March 1st via France’s dark wave / goth imprint Unknown Pleasures Records (EU/UK).

Commenting on the track and video, the band say: “This song is about the bumps on your skin when you’re scared and the jolt in your legs just before you fall asleep. Who or what is causing this? Something or someone is haunting you and it lingers. We initially shot the video with the idea of being delivered from a sea of ghosts. The video shows how the curse travelled to reach its next heirs, taking on many different shades of fear and forms. Never doubt the ghosts who follow you. “

Best of 2022: Canada’s Most Under – Appreciated Artists” “safe to say their haunting sounds won’t be among our best-kept secrets for much longer” – EXCLAIM!

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02/18 – London ON – Winter Spectacular w/ Ombiigizi, METZ
02/25 – Toronto ON –  Lee’s Palace w/ Tallies
03/10 – NYC NY – New Colossus Fest – Planetary Group Showcase – Pianos (12:45pm)
03/10 – NYC NY – New Colossus Fest – Bowery Electric (7:15)
03/24 – London ON – Palasad Socialbowl w/ Ian Blurton’s Future Now
03/25 – Hamilton ON – The Casbah w/ Ian Blurton’s Future Now
04/08 – Toronto ON – The Bovine w/ Ian Blurton’s Future Now
05/28 – Toronto ON – Lee’s Palace w/ Jasmyn, Dilly Dally
06/07-10 – St John’s NL – Lawnya Vawnya Festival

BONNIE TRASH, the work of Canadian-Italian twin sisters Emmalia and Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor, share two final pre-release singles from their debut album, ‘Malocchio’, set for release on October 28th via Hand Drawn Dracula.

‘Malocchio’ takes its name from the Italian word for a hex or curse, inspired by folklore and stories handed down to the twins by their Italian grandma, Nonna Maria. Latest single Silence is a Killer (directed by Bonnie Trash and shot and edited by Sara May) sees them embody the malocchio, writing a love letter to its recipient.

Commenting on the track, the band say: “Infatuated with the soul it captures, the malocchio becomes one with you. And you? You eerily love every minute of it. It tricks you into thinking this is now your life, drenched in evil. It will haunt you until the end. How can you break the curse? “Silence Is A Killer” is a lyric video following a Trevisani recipe on how to remove a malocchio, or at least buy some time: boil and burn all the feathers in your pillow, then throw them in the river.”

The malocchio follows you. It is a fear that lingers. It will wait for you, and it wants to see you cry. “Lashes on Fire” is an open dialogue between you and the malocchio. How it talks to you, haunts you, and invades every waking thought. The “Lashes on Fire” visualizer contrasts fuzzy footage with clear imagery of eyes full of grief. It’s the contrast of trying to run away from something (in this case, embodied by a shadowy ghoul – the malocchio). You try to run away, yet it catches up to you. Rather, it’s always here. Watching you. And you? You’re watching it too.

From PJ Harvey to Siouxsie & the Banshees, there is an ancestral line directly tying them together and recalling emotions from the past. And that’s what Bonnie Trash is: a legacy. Gothic punk is diluted with a romantic rock to form a sound that, all at once, encompasses history” – THE LINE OF BEST FIT : ON THE RISE

The Guelph duo share their Nonna’s tales of supernatural terror and preserve her Trevisàn dialect” – EXCLAIM! MAGAZINE: INTERVIEW

Bonnie Trash channels goth inspiration from Italian roots – into one of this year’s most captivating releases” – THE STAR



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October 28 – Toronto ON – ESG Zero w/ Twin Rains
October 29 – Guelph ON – 10C w/ Status/Non-Status
November 05 – Sarnia ON – Cinegaze Afterparty @ Maud’s Variety
November 24 – Toronto ON – The Garrison w/ Roach, Praises

BONNIE TRASH is the drone-rock project of Canadian-Italian twin sisters Emmalia and Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor. Today they share new single “Perfect Moment (A Beautiful Reunion)” from their debut album, ‘Malocchio’, to be released on October 28th via Hand Drawn Dracula.

‘Malocchio’ unspools a real-life horror story based on the stories told to them by their Italian grandmother. Over heavy, hypnotic riffs, pounding drums and spooky soundscapes, the lyrics pull the listener into the meaning of the “evil eye,” a hex of malice onto another.

Speaking on today’s new single, with accompanying video shot and directed by Sam Maloney, the band comment: “How do you see yourself dying? How do others see you dying? How does it feel to be left to die, when there’s nothing else you can do, waiting for that ‘perfect’ moment of one last euphoria: a beautiful reunion. This song is a genuflection to all of the nonni who passed during the pandemic and could not be held.”

Sept 02 – Rouyn Noranda, QC @ FME Festival w/ Tallies
Sept 23 – London, ON @ Palasad Socialbowl

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BONNIE TRASH is the drone-rock project of Canadian-Italian twin sisters Emmalia and Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor. Today they have announced details of their debut album, ‘Malocchio’, to be released on October 28th via Hand Drawn Dracula, and have shared new single Have You Seen Her

‘Malocchio’ unspools a real-life horror story based on the stories told to them by their Italian grandmother. Over heavy, hypnotic riffs, pounding drums and spooky soundscapes, the lyrics pull the listener into the meaning of the “evil eye,” a hex of malice onto another.

Speaking on today’s new single – the shadowy and foreboding Have You Seen Her– the band comment: “The music video plays out like a sci-fi involving an alternate dimension/timeline. Using the same idea of the malocchio that haunted our nonna decades ago, what does it look like when conjured by generations later in the future, and can this generational haunting finish once and for all? We see two siblings confront the malocchio head-on, only for it to follow once more. The curse has become a part of them. Do not be afraid.

Have You Seen Her is also about the tragic loss of a loved one, longing to be with them, and wondering where they’ve ended up – above the clouds? Below the earth? A new (to us) dimension? Death is the only thing we know to be true in this world. Precious memories here are what we hold onto. When our loves are taken from us by what may be a curse, it’s only natural that we want to find a way to reverse it, and reunite with them in harmony.”

07/15/22 Guelph ON : Kazoo Festival
08/11/22 Toronto ON : Horseshoe Tavern w/ Roach, Praises

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BONNIE TRASH is the drone-rock project of Canadian-Italian twin sisters Emmalia and Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor. Today they share new single “Teeth” – a first glimpse at their debut album, which is due to be released later this year by Hand Drawn Dracula.

Teeth” sees Bonnie Trash at their poppiest, recontextualizing a “Be My Baby” beat (a nod to Ronnie Spector up above) before a wash of swoony, microtonal drones, the words telling of a love story that might be toxic.

The band share the track with a self-directed video, commenting: “We created a short film to help narrate stories our Nonna Maria told us about being haunted and followed by a curse in her hometown of San Zenone degli Ezzelini in Treviso, Italy. That short eventually became the concept of our album, which is woven into our first music video, “Teeth.” Shot at the Apollo Cinema in Kitchener, Ontario, “Teeth” bridges generations of being haunted – we see ourselves watching our work without understanding that we too have conjured the curse. A malocchio follows.

The music of Bonnie Trash connects the threads between metal, post-punk, shoegaze and gothic rock, with Emmalia’s astounding guitar work recalling the likes of Black Sabbath, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Joy Division and My Bloody Valentine. Singer/drummer/lyricist Sarafina’s voice leaps out of the mix with a commanding presence, summoning references to PJ Harvey or Siouxsie & the Banshees.

That mix of musical influences alone would set Bonnie Trash apart, but the duo’s unique approach to their lyrical content really puts them in a school of their own. Inspired by communication theory, social commentary, horror, and ancestral folklore, the sisters approach their songwriting as a conceptual research project into their own family heritage. As second-generation Italian-Canadians, the Bortolon-Vettors became fascinated by the stories told by their Nonna and the connections between Treviso in Northern Italy and their hometown of Guelph, Ontario.

The twins began playing music together at age 11, forming an all-female punk band in high school and a more eclectic indie group during their college years. But what became Bonnie Trash began to coalesce around 2013, when they moved back home to Guelph after spending time in the larger cities of Toronto and Montreal. A progressive college town with a vibrant DIY music scene, Guelph is also home to a tight-knit Italian-Canadian community and the name “Guelph” also has an Italian origin.

Spending more time with their Nonna Maria, they began digging into the ghost stories they heard as children, becoming more fascinated with the folklore, the superstitions, and the unique Veneto dialect she spoke — a dialect the sisters recognized was also dying out. Suddenly, the act of songwriting had also become an act of cultural preservation. And some of these stories were hair-raisingly scary. Discovering this heavier subject matter coincided with a shared desire to play heavier music.

06/12/22 Toronto ON : Baby G w/ Gloin
06/23/22 Calgary AB : Sled Island Festival
07/15/22 Guelph ON : Kazoo Festival

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