The Born To Fly Video directed, shot & edited by Miguel Rios

https://writteninmusic.com/albumrecensie/hugo-race-fatalists-i-made-it-all-up-for-you/

March 2026

“After the completion of The Wreckery, the conclusion of Michelangelo Russo, and the collaboration with Charlie Risso, it is time for Hugo Race to embark on a new project, one in which tastemaker Michelangelo Russo is also involved: a new album by Fatalists, Hugo Race's Italian backing band. On I Made It All Up For You, the musician sounds considerably more relaxed than we are used to from him. The emphasis is no longer on the dark side of the blues. Only the melancholic The Comet Drops is a blues tribute; here, Hugo Race clings to that last glimmer of hope.

Sometimes you just have to let it happen. It all sounds so natural, but do not underestimate the contribution of the guest musicians. The fact that Hugo Race recently entered into a partnership with Steve Kilbey of The Church is clearly audible in Against the World. It is a fine mix of psychedelia, pop, and folk, with the ear-pleasing violin parts of Massimiliano Gallo. Jennifer Charles, for instance, is the perfect person to sing the duet *Broken Love* with. This singer shares the same penchant for the darker sides of life. Like Hugo Race, Jennifer Charles grapples with themes such as love, loss, and death. The duo sings about the consequences of a relationship on the brink of collapse. Sometimes you *feel* the emotional weight in a role-play like this. In such cases, you shouldn't add any extra words.

Charles is also featured on *I Collide*, although Francesco Giampaoli steals the show there with his double bass. His friend, fashion designer Alannah Hill, provides a large portion of the lyrics for this track, just as she did for *Broken Love*, giving it that extra feminine dimension. A beautifully gloomy murder ballad atmosphere surrounds *I Collide*. These are two beautiful songs about a hopeless, exhausting relationship.

*I Made It All Up For You* resembles a fever dream, where folk and country provide the backdrop. The role of storyteller suits Hugo Race well. Country is the most explicit genre for expressing desire. Born To Fly adds free-spirited folk elements to this. A ‘roots experience’ that brings Race back to his Australian roots. Down Under desert rock, dusty, with beautiful slide guitar solos and sparkling banjo playing. Hugo Race applies this foundation just as effectively to the Dream Country Home finale.

Hugo Race is the main character in I Tread Softly. Lonely, with ghosts from the past swarming around him like dark shadows. Hugo Race as a sponge who primarily receives love and absorbs it. A touch spiritual, but with that characteristic dark undertone. Here, it is primarily drummer Diego Sapignoli who asserts himself decisively.

Dreaming and musing, Hugo Race sets aside his fondness for the seamy side of existence in Bad Dreams. The dark legacy of The Bad Seeds thunders through the driven, eerie 45 in the Shade. Here, too, the temptations of life come to the fore. Hugo Race is prone to addiction, yet here he delivers a deliciously addictive, druggy sound. That menacing atmosphere also dominates in the strong, cinematic, David Lynch-esque *Open Field*.

The final farewell forms the main theme of *I Made It All Up For You*. Not only a farewell to what you love, but also to Australia. The musician moves to Italy to give that grief a place. Although Hugo Race may have invented *I Made It All Up For You*, the facts are nevertheless glaringly obvious.”