There’s a strange irony in how much effort we put into trying to make our lives better, only to end up feeling more overwhelmed than when we started; between social media, endless self-improvement advice and the constant pressure to have everything figured out, sometimes the most useful thing you can do is simply stop paying attention to all the noise.
That’s the idea behind FanSandro’s new single, which is a thoughtful, slow-burning indie-pop track featuring guest vocalist Jenny Shen. The collaborative project of childhood friends Mike ‘Ivan’ Clarke and Alex ‘Sandro’ Smyth, FanSandro have built their music around carefully layered sounds and melodies, and their latest release finds them exploring the uncomfortable space between wanting to improve yourself and learning to appreciate what you already have.
The song emerged during a particularly difficult period for Sandro, who found himself reconsidering how much attention he was giving to the things that were making him unhappy. After becoming interested in mindfulness, he began recognising how easily everyday pressures could take over his thoughts, particularly the constant stream of online advice promising to make people happier, healthier or more successful.
“I wrote Tabacchi during a breakthrough in how I was feeling after going through a bit of a rough time,” Sandro says. “I got quite into mindfulness. I think there is a lot of top layer stress in life these days that you can walk away from. For example social media and self improvement advice that can end up having a reverse effect. All this creates an unease in the mind that you can let go of. The song is about appreciating what you have and focussing on the important stuff”
As he further explains, there’s a lot of unnecessary stress in modern life that people can choose to walk away from, even if recognising that isn’t always easy. “Tabacchi” translates that realisation into an uneasy blend of melancholy and defiance, with its restrained atmosphere gradually rising and falling around the song’s central message. One lyric in particular captures Smyth’s thinking: “I can’t start running if my feet don’t touch the floor.”
That tension between restlessness and acceptance gives “Tabacchi” much of its emotional character, as rather than presenting mindfulness as some magical solution to life’s problems, FanSandro approach it as an ongoing process of recognising when to step away, slow down and regain perspective. “The chorus is almost a reminder to myself to stay grounded (‘I can’t start running if my feet don’t touch the floor’),” Sandro continues. “I think I was sort of leaning into the ups and downs of life a bit too much.”
The song’s shifting dynamics reflect that uncertainty, moving between moments of introspection and a more determined sense of forward motion, while Jenny’s guest vocals add another dimension to the duo’s melodic approach. It’s an interesting introduction to the duo’s upcoming album, due out for release in 2027, an album that seems particularly appropriate for music concerned with finding peace without pretending that everything is perfect.
