PLANET OPAL: new single out now for experimental duo via Dischi Sotterranei + announced live at Spring Attitude Festival 2025

Announced as one of the first exciting names in the lineup for Spring Attitude Festival 2025, the experimental duo PLANET OPAL, formed by Giorgio Assi (producer, synth and vocals) and Leonardo De Franceschi (drums), returns to the scene with a new single out today, March 14th, via Dischi Sotterranei: it is titled I’ve Heard Brian Eno in the McDonald’s Fridge and is the first excerpt from their highly anticipated second album Recreate Patterns, Release Energy, an exploration of breaking and reshaping structures, of shedding old patterns to release new energy.

Established internationally as one of the most intriguing revelations of the electronic scene, already featured on prestigious channels such as the BBC, the project is inspired by the pulsating echoes of New York dance-punk and post-disco, mixed with the visionary sounds of krautrock. Emblematic of this is this new song with its lopsided yet unstoppable groove, which pushes forward without asking for permission, brimming with tension and irreverence, moving between the surreal and the introspective.

As producer and voice in the duo Giorgio Assi explains, «I was working at McDonald’s, and every time I opened the tempering fridge in the kitchen, its motor produced a sound very similar to the drone in Brian Eno’s “Thursday Afternoon”». The result is a surreal snapshot captured in music through a tense, hypnotic, and ironically charged track that plays with repetition and paradox, leaving space between meaning and nonsense, between relentless rhythm and the desire for escape.

BIOGRAPHY

PLANET OPAL is the project of Giorgio Assi (producer, mix engineer, synthesizers, vocals) and Leonardo De Franceschi (drums), a duo that has been shaping an unpredictable sonic landscape since its inception. Born from a trip to Corsica in 2018, their music draws inspiration from the rhythmic intensity of krautrock, the raw energy of dance-punk, and the textural depth of experimental electronics. Their approach thrives on contrasts: hypnotic repetition and sudden ruptures, structured grooves and unexpected improvisations, layers of sound that blur the line between ecstatic euphoria and controlled tension.

After the release of their debut album Cartalavonu (2021, Dischi Sotterranei), they gained recognition for their unique blend of electronic and rock influences, crafting compositions that defy genre constraints. Their live performances are an extension of this vision – highly dynamic, pulsating with raw energy, and enhanced by immersive visuals that amplify the sensory impact of their sound. During the same year, they perform all over Italy and reach international stages as well: MI AMI, Sherwood, Sud Est Indipendente, Mag Festival, Villa Ada (together with Pendulum), Next Please (opening for Calibro 35 and Dj Khalab), until they land at the MENT Festival in Ljubljana. They also perform at the Mondo Festival in New York, proving the international appeal of their music. In addition, the organizing committee of the events of Novi Sad in Serbia, European Capital of Culture 2022, invites them to play in the Balkan city. Their fabulous year ends with openings for Niños du Brasil at Magnolia in Milan and for Populous in Bergamo. In 2023, they release a two-track EP, 46AB081222 / Do We Know Time?, which is followed by a 24-date tour that sees them performing at Goa Boa Festival (opening for Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order), Apolide Festival and Woodoo Festival. Then they play across Europe, including a show in Macedonia, but most notably as guests at the prestigious Transmusicales festival in Rennes and the renowned Fuse club in Brussels. The year 2024 begins on a high note with a double opening for the Dutch band Yin Yin at Kino Siska in Ljubljana and Mocvara in Zagreb.

In 2025, they are preparing to return to the scene with their second album for Dischi Sotterranei, Recreate Patterns, Release Energy, with which the duo further refines their aesthetic, exploring the idea of breaking and reconfiguring established structures – both in music and in life. The first single taken from the record, titled I’ve Heard Brian Eno in the McDonald’s Fridge and out on March 14th, had premieres on prestigious international channels such as the BBC.

Ahead of their 2025 tour, they have been announced as one of the first names in the lineup for the Spring Attitude Festival, taking place from September 12th to 13th at La Nuvola in Rome.

CREDITS

PLANET OPAL are:

Giorgio Assi (producer, mix engineer, synth, vocals).

Leonardo De Franceschi (drums and percussions).

Drums played by Leonardo De Franceschi, recorded by Gregorio Conti at Francesco Crovetto’s studio, Bergamo (IT).

Instruments and vocals recorded by Giorgio Assi between Aede Studio, Bergamo (IT) and Naunynritze, Berlin (DE).

Arrangements, production and lyrics by Giorgio Assi with additional production by Matteo Rigamonti.

Mixed by Matteo Rigamonti and Giorgio Assi in Milan, Italy.

Mastered at Eleven Mastering by Andrea De Bernardi.

Artwork by Jacek Rudzky Znajomi Grafik.

Exclusively licensed to Dischi Sotterranei. Published by Dischi Sotterranei. Made in the EU.