Italian composer, singer, and all-round creative polymath Nico Guzzi treats music like a playground with no fences, and The Game of Life goes on to prove just how comfortably he jumps between worlds. Released in January 2026, the nine-track album snaps a hyperconnected era, where classical instincts, club energy, satire, and soul-searching all crash into one another. Guzziโs background in composition, writing, and soundtrack work shows up everywhere here.
Right out of the gate, โPlay the Gameโ sets the tone with bright cymbal sparks and warm horn lines that glide in with a cinematic joy, before electronic glitches creep underneath and remind you this isnโt nostalgia for its own sake. Itโs playful, slightly ironic, and knowingly modern. Then thereโs โIโm Not Yours,โ one of the albumโs emotional anchors. It begins in dusty, rumbling textures and steady, pulsing drums as Guzzi sings in a low whisper. Slowly, tension builds. His voice wobbles, then lifts, then finally erupts into a molten, anthemic high, mirroring the lyricsโ push for self-liberation and escape from emotional gravity.
โAnarchy in Nebbia a Banchiโ sharpens the albumโs satirical edge, as low refrains give way to revving electronics and punchy percussion, while Guzzi delivers razor-edged lines in a grainy, raspy register. It critiques digital fog, curated identities, and algorithmic living, but the beats make rebellion feel danceable.
Later, โMamaโ strips things back emotionally while keeping the grit intact. Buzzing textures hum beneath a tightly controlled, gravelly vocal as Guzzi sings about chasing meaning through routines of money, desire, and ambition, all while reaching for something brighter. Throughout The Game of Life, double basses flirt with synths, rap brushes against melody, and irony sits next to sincerity.
The album lets you sit with sharp observations, catharsis, and the feeling that even in a glitched-out world, movement is still possible.
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Review by: Naomi Joan