In conversation with Paul Walla

A new and grand, experimental alternative rock track was released by Paul Walla, his new single ‘Withered Love’ was released on the 10th of June. The self-taught riffing rock artist actually goes by the name of Paolo Mura, we were intrigued and took the time to have a chat with the emerging Italian musician.

Where did you get the inspiration for your artist name from? “Well, my artist name is just a “not so funny” and literal translation from Italian to English. My name Paolo is the English equivalent of Paul and my surname in Italian is the feminine version of ‘wall’, so I turned it into an English feminine way, and it became ‘Walla’. It’s a wordplay between my Italian name and the anglicisation of it!”

When did you start making music and in what way has it helped you to process experiences that you have gone through, throughout your life? “I’ve always listened to music since I was a kid. I started to play bass guitar when I was 14 or 15 years old and thanks to music I found a way to express my feelings in lyrics the way I couldn’t in words. Music for me is like an internal megaphone where I can say anything about myself and my states of mind without caring.”

‘Withered Love’ is a well-rounded song with hooks that roll in from different angles, the instant intro filled with raw riffs and dark vocals make the track a warm embrace of alternative rock.

What inspired you to write your new single? “I’m graduated in cinema and I like to write screenplays. So, one day, I came up with an idea for a plot: an engaged couple wants to make their love immortal. So they decide to summon the devil and sell their soul in exchange for eternal love. But the devil, son of a gun, also takes their bodies and the couple dies. The death of the two, in a certain way, makes their love immortal.”

Paul’s love for cinematic soundscapes and dramatic narratives is oh so apparent and draw a bridge between his music and his love for screenplay writing. Those elements are also what set this song apart from others within its genre, because despite its simple hooks and catchy mix, ‘Withered Love’ is more layered than it seems.

What do you think is the hardest part of releasing music? “I think that promotion was (and is!) the most difficult thing. I’m an unsigned artist, I have no label behind me so I have to do it all by myself. It’s very difficult to get anything back from webzines and blogs, sometimes it seems like reaching out to them is probably more trouble than it’s worth. But I love music and I will just keep trying!”

Paul Walla inspires us all to keep trying and not to give up, it’s the positive tone of ‘Withered Love’ in which those feelings of perseverance are apparent.

In an ideal world, who would you like to collaborate with on a future project? “With tons of artists! If I think of a modern artist, definitely with Royal Blood. They’re only two and play like a full band. Amazing. It’s difficult to choose, I change my ideas very often but I can say that at the moment I’d like also to collaborate with James Lavelle, from UNKLE, Josh Homme and Mark Lanegan for sure.”

We’d say that Paul Walla and Josh Homme would be an incredible match! Hopefully we’ll soon be able to spot some support slots on social media…

Which artist would you love to support on their live tour? “My music is influenced by the 90’s Seattle grunge scene, so it would be amazing to open for  Alice in Chains. I’d like also to open for Stone Temple Pilots, Queens of the Stone Age, Stoned Jesus… I can go on for days!”

Any artists you would like to recommend to our readers? “I recommend an English band that I discovered recently: Kid Kapichi. they are really really great. They’re a strange but working mix between The Clash and Queens of the Stone Age I would also recommend Snash: a punk hardcore band from Glasgow, Scotland.”

So, we decided to add Kid Kapichi and Snash to our latest Alternative Tracks playlist or you can listen to it below!