Vasa Kumora is an anonymous studio project. They don’t perform live. They only write songs out of love for the craft.
Italian Alternative Goth Rock
Vasa Kumora, an anonymous studio project based in southern Italy—a land of mystery and superstition—has released their new single “Mabel”: a 5-minute journey through introspective gothic rock, enriched with touches of alternative rock, post-punk, and industrial metal.
Released on November 21, the track is the first installment of a conceptual trilogy centered on Toby, a fictional character whose life will unfold across three albums. More than a standalone song, “Mabel” serves as a quiet manifesto: the band defines itself as “alternative goth”—not in rejection of the genre, but as a deliberate reinterpretation, steering clear of its most overused tropes.
Vasa Kumora was founded in 2022 as a studio-only endeavor. They will never perform live. Their identities remain anonymous by artistic choice. They’re not seeking fame. They simply want to share their songs—with honesty, without masks, without spectacle—with anyone willing to listen.
The Essence of “Mabel”
In the words of Ssiv, member of Vasa Kumora:
“All of Vasa Kumora’s songs will eventually be collected into three concept albums about a fictional character, Toby. Mabel is his first love: a platonic love, but no less powerful for it—in fact, quite the opposite.
You could say that Mabel’s death is the event that sets the entire story in motion.
‘Mabel’ is a love song, and in the interlude before the second chorus, it pays homage to the Italian tradition of tragic love songs, such as De André’s ‘La canzone di Marinella.’ The opening lyrics, meanwhile, draw from Plato’s myth of the cave.
The title is a tribute to a character from ‘La zona del crepuscolo’ (The Twilight Zone), an issue of Dylan Dog—we like how it sounds. And, well… nearly every self-respecting dark band has a song named after a woman.«
For the rest, I think ‘Mabel’ is quite a goth song—even though, like many of ours, it challenges many of the genre’s clichés.”
Vasa Kumora | Mabel | Indie Valley Music Review
“Mabel” is a versatile piece of gothic and alternative rock, projecting an atmosphere that is dark, ethereal, and immersive—cold in texture, yet deeply compelling in its delivery. The lyrics and vocal delivery—raw, emotive, unembellished—reinforce the song’s conceptual core, while the dynamic, carefully crafted structure holds attention from start to finish. Verses and choruses, precisely shaped, build like an emotional crescendo: they don’t just linger in memory—they resonate.
Technically, the production is impeccable: a balance of deep lows, warm mids, and controlled highs allows each layer—textured guitars, bass with enveloping presence, and drums evoking an industrial sonic character—to retain its identity without competing. The mix is spacious; the mastering enhances the arrangement intelligently: deepening the lows without distortion, clarifying the mids, and preserving the raw edge of the guitars, resulting in a track that sounds powerful, clear, and cohesive.
“Mabel” affirms Vasa Kumora’s vision: a studio-based, anonymous project with no commercial ambitions, prioritizing narrative over aesthetic. The song—inspired by Italy’s tradition of tragic love and literary references—doesn’t aim to sound gothic, but to be gothic in essence: introspective, emotionally resonant, and faithful to its story.
«It’s a true pleasure for us to present “Mabel” by Vasa Kumora. We encourage everyone to listen to the song on their favorite streaming platform.«
“Mabel” is now available on all digital platforms
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