Cinzia & The Perfect Nines find that all roads lead to Rome on their new single and travelogue video — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Cinzia Moniaci didn’t need Judy Garland to teach her there’s no place like home. Check out her latest single, on which the Italian-born L.A. transplant imparts the thrill of waking up to find herself in “the city alive,” with the “beauty all around. And when the irresistible chorus hits, her nativist joy explodes into the kind of full-on boosterism that could land her a job with the tourism board:
“Rome, opening my mind
Coloring my soul
With its beauty never-ending
Always trending
Wakes me up inside
Makes me feel alive
And I can’t believe I get to call her home.”
As if her stance needed reinforcing, Moniaci even slips in a few lines sung in her mother tongue during the song’s outro vamp. (For more where that came from, there’s a separately recorded version of the song, Roma, performed entirely in Italian.) But since a picture is worth the proverbial thousand words, The Perfect Nines have also shot a companion video that’s a mouth-watering tour of Roman sights and locations. You’ll want to book your flight as soon as you’re done listening and watching.
The whole package is a transcontinental slam dunk for Moniaci, guitarist Rico Quevedo (with whom she partnered in their previous band Bionica) and guest lead guitarist Ermanno Fabbri. The vibe they’ve all captured on Rome is an infectious hybrid of radio-rock anthemry and hip-swaying Mediterranean flair — and in its way, that sound is the perfect encapsulation of the band’s own story. Moniaci relocated to Southern California from Italy in the late ’90s, and in the ensuing years, she and Quevedo have maintained a strong live presence in both environments, performing everywhere from Hermosa Beach and Hollywood to Turino.
The group’s self-titled debut dropped in 2009, yielding tracks like Don’t You Worry and Life Goes On, and they’re currently hard at work on their second. If that seems like a long wait, just be glad they’ve been able to find the time at all. Moniaci has a thriving business as a fashion designer of luxury handbags and accessories. She’s also worked as a fashion correspondent. (Is it any wonder all three musicians look great in the video?) And that’s not counting her stints providing music for TV shows, or her parallel recording career as a solo artist: Her rendition of Jules Shears’ If She Knew What She Wants, made famous by The Bangles, was a hit in the U.K.
So no, it’s no big surprise that the country that gave us the Renaissance would produce a true Renaissance woman. Cinzia And The Perfect Nines are more than a mere vehicle for a restless designer’s artistic curiosity; nor are they just a wryly named bunch of rockers with a personal yen for the Eternal City. They’re like Rome itself: Timeless, zesty, and perpetually engaging in a way that’ll keep you coming back for more. Have your passport ready.
Watch the video for Rome, hear more from Cinzia And The Perfect Nines below, and visit them on their website, Instagram and Facebook.
