Taking the name of his grandfather, Anacleto, Chicago-based percussionist and songwriter Alex Santilli began his solo project to showcase his friends’ talents and to share his perspective from his Italian and Argentinian background: to slow down and enjoy the beauty in everyday life.

While Santilli created The Adventures of Anacleto as a character to get distance from himself, his songs are very much based on real-life experiences. Alex adopts a bedroom pop sound on the surface, but he also draws from traditional Italian folk, free jazz, soul, and ambient.

Today, The Adventures of Anacleto has dropped the single “Save Myself.”  The track opens up with a sultry, R&B groove that then leans towards overlapping smooth vocals.  Hitting drums and bluesy guitars pound throughout allowing the listener to have a wavy experience that’s enticing to the ear.

Here’s Santilli on the new single: “‘Save Myself’ is a sarcastic take on the pursuit of the rock ’n roll fantasy. Screwing over anyone or whoever gets in the way just for a taste of fame. It’s about how we preach love and true artistry but, in reality, we are all chasing clout and trying to get into the club of fame. If we were true, we wouldn’t be building fictitious images of what we are and we would simply play, give back, teach, learn, create, and see this world. But we all pursue that fame to get ahead. We’re running around acting like something we’re not. The irony is if we ever get there we won’t be able to see it.”

Currently, Santilli is working on a full-length slated for release sometime this year.  

Photo Courtesy: Nick McMillian