Written by: Amy Whitford

Dolfiin Alexander has released his debut album today, titled Rainbow Days, and it’s a hushed and intimate slice of acoustic folk reverie that reveals more with each listen.

Rainbow Days is a mysterious record, much like its enigmatic creator, Northern Californian Paolo Mancasola.

The songs here are wrapped in layers of ambient sound, whispery field recordings, washes of unplaceable noise, reversed snippets of guitar, and the occasional stuttering percussion.

Opener “High Noon” sets the pastoral scene as strummed acoustic guitar and wavering piano chords form the backdrop to Mancasola’s deeply resonant voice.

The track invokes Arthur Russell and Nick Drake, both insular luminaries whose lives were private, and the recordings here feel similarly discrete, like voyeuristically looking through a window to find someone else’s life inside.

“Smudge” is another mood altogether; an instrumental number that recalls indie legends Duster in its widescreen strums, looking towards the horizon with downcast eyes.

“Old Shasta Home of the Miners” sounds like a lost Damien Jurado song, the vivid lyricism giving just enough detail to paint a colorful scene. 

Explaining his headspace, Mancasola reveals that the pandemic was a bit of a reality check for him, helping him to shed some of his ego and insecurities, and begin the process of sharing his deeply private art.

The title track is another instrumental beauty, with ambient tones and rustling samples providing a sonic sanctuary.

Rainbow Days is a dense album with many temporal emotional hues, but the songwriting is solid, and the breadth of artistry is compelling, with experimental excursions hinting at so much possibility from this mercurial new artist.

Put the record on, watch the sun set, and appreciate what you have…