iyv is the name of the band founded by singer and guitarist Matt G. in 2001.
With the original line-up (Matteo Medea, Tony Denaro, Andrea Rottin) between November 2001 and April 2002 they self-produce their first album “Waiting for My Muse called Love” at Tommaso Mantelli‘s LESDER STUDIO; they participate in two editions of Emergenza Festival, reaching in both the final. In 2004 they participated in the casting of the television program “Miti della Musica” conducted by Red Ronnie with two new songs: “The Night I Have To See” and “My Drug”. In late 2005 they took part in the Emergenza Acoustic Festival, winning the audience prize;
Andrea leaves the band to move to the city of Prague and iyv continue in the 3-man formation until the arrival of a new guitarist, Nicola Mihailovic. He will remain in the line-up until their breakup, a few months later, just long enough to record some songs from what should have been their second album “Indaco | Yellow | Violet” (from which the unreleased track “Anything You Are” was included in the 2K5 Everytime Gray compilation by Emergenza Italy).
After a few years, Matt gave birth to more than 60 new auditions, from which he selects 13 songs for what will be the next album – I Killed Someone. The album will see the light in 2016. “I killed Someone” is a “corrupt” record in every aspect: its experimental and extremely digital / low-fi recording fully represents the story told within the album.
At the release of the album, together with some of the old bandmates (including Alvise Spanò who had collaborated on I killed Someone), iyv start playing again with a significantly different line-up. At the same time, Matt writes other material that he wants to reshape, experimenting with something different. From that moment a side project was born that will involve iyv’s first drummer, Matteo Medea, the current drummer Alessio Galliazzo in his original role as guitarist, and a new bassist, Alessio Frisone.
The new project takes shape while, almost at the same time, iyv last formation disappears.
Thus begins the working of Blacktar (which was originally the name of the new band, before redeeming the original name iyv at the split-up of the previous formation).
In November 2019 the “newborns” iyv begin recording the album returning as 18 years before at LESDER STUDIO.