Failure by NREC & K.Lust: An Album That Redefines “Alternative” Music
We often come across the term “alternative music” especially when referring to independent productions but what does alternative really mean? Alternative to what, or to whom? Isn’t all music, in some way, other?
This question sets the tone for Failure, the collaborative album born from the artistic fusion of NREC (Enrico Tiberi) and K.Lust (Anacleto Vitolo). Presented live at iMorticelli in Salerno, Italy, Failure invites us to rethink what “alternative” truly means.
In its purest sense, alternative can mean “proceeding in a different way” or “responding to free choices.” Failure does both.
It’s a free spirited album, impossible to pigeonhole into a single genre. You’ll hear traces of symphonic music, metal, pop, dance, even a pinch of dub. But no single style dominates. Each element is carefully blended, like ingredients in a well-balanced recipe. And just like with a complex dish, you might taste something familiar you can’t quite name. But does it matter what it is? Not really. What matters is how it feels to the ear, to the soul.
Yes, Failure is alternative, precisely because it refuses definition. It flows unpredictably, even within each track: long, hypnotic guitar sections are followed by melodic vocals, which dissolve into screams, noise incursions, or dreamy string arrangements. The rhythm evolves seamlessly between intricate patterns and minimal percussive textures.
Yet the album never loses coherence. It’s a smooth, immersive listen perfect for a journey, whether literal or metaphorical. And like any true journey, Failure is not about reaching a destination. It’s about the experience. It’s an album that accompanies you, not one that tells you where to go. Even in its name, it challenges the idea of arrival and success.
The album is also alternative in its ability to shift with every listen. The live performance hits differently than a car ride listen, and differently still while writing about it. It reinvents itself each experience brings new textures to light.
The visual aspect is equally powerful. The videos for Let Me In and Consummate Survivor are not just artistic extensions of the music, they’re vital parts of the narrative. Though both are born from a shared vision, they differ deeply in format, tone, and style. And during live shows, visuals enhance the story and not just as background decoration, but as active participants in the storytelling.
Much of this fluid, multi-dimensional nature stems from how the album was conceived. According to the artists, it came together over several years and across several cities: Civitanova Marche, Battipaglia, and Berlin. This long, nomadic creation process speaks through the music.
NREC (Enrico Tiberi) has been active since 2015, with an EP (Spaghettitronica), a full-length (Signals), and numerous singles and remixes. His work moves across illustration, performance, and production.
K.Lust (Anacleto Vitolo) is an eclectic producer who moves between electroacoustic, glitch, industrial, and classical-inspired sounds. Since 2013, he’s released music on FatCat and other labels such as Silentes, Manyfeetunder, Stochastic Resonance, Aulicus Classics, Laverna, and RXSTNZ.
Failure is the result of all their travels, influences, and creative encounters. It’s shaped by every moment and mile they’ve shared. Even the album title reflects this, the conscious embrace of failure as a vital part of growth. Failure as experience, as transformation, as the launchpad for awareness.
Every failure is alternative to the ones before it and together, they build the foundation of success. Not a perfect, polished version of success, but one that includes all its textures, flavors, and sounds.
Ultimately, how much you let Failure carry you depends on you and the listener.
So, is Failure an alternative album?
No. Failure is many albums, as many as the times you’ll listen to it.
🔗 NREC | K.LUST
Follow Failure!
Written by NZIRIA TEAM MAGAZINE
