Former Endless Heights frontman Joel Martorana has premiered his solo project Colletto Bianco with his debut single, ‘Choke’.
The song was co-written by Candace Krieger and Elliott Gallart alongside Martorana himself. Gallart also served as the song’s producer, working out of his studio Chameleon Sound.
‘Choke’ marks a significant departure from the post-hardcore of Martorana’s previous work with Endless Heights, opting for a sound with elements of trip-hop, R&B and modern pop.
An accompanying music video for ‘Choke’ has also been released, which was directed by Mikey Hamer. The clip stars members of Martorana’s family, and is a portrayal of the Colletto Bianco character in the spirit of mob crime dramas. Watch the clip below:
In a press statement, Martorana described ‘Choke’ as “a torturous dance between desire and fear”.
“The [song] exposes the impulse to indulge and distract instead of listening to your own conscience,” he said, “using pleasure as a distraction to shy away from what is in front of you.”
In regards to the music video, Martorana notes it “gives a brief insight into the daily life of this proud, chauvinistic and bold fool”.
“[You are] watching Colletto build credibility with his dons, and (poorly) juggling a hidden second life from his beloved family – who are eventually brought into his mess,” he said.
Colletto Bianco (Italian for “white collar”) marks Martorana’s first musical project outside of Endless Heights. Martorana fronted Endless Heights from their 2009 formation to their 2019 split.
The band released two studio albums – 2014’s ‘New Bloom’ and 2018’s ‘Vicious Pleasure’ – as well as several EPs: 2010’s ‘Prologue’, 2011’s ‘Dream Strong’, 2013’s ‘Lady Wisdom’, 2015’s ‘Teach You How to Leave’ and 2016’s ‘Pray I Fade’.
Their final release was a stand-alone single, ‘Cold Hard Kiss’, in 2019. Since the band’s split, guitarist Jem Siow has fronted the Sydney hardcore punk band Speed.