Contorno is a Chicago-based rock n roll collective led by songwriter John Gargiulo. They released their second LP Day to Day on September 27th, 2024. Written primarily in 2019 and 2020, the album explores themes of loss, housing shortages, the collapse of the social safety net, and finding emotional refuge in Chicago's open, natural spaces.
The band's music melds folky jangle rock with swampy grooves and fiery, Neil Young-inspired guitar solos. Writing about the band’s first full length release, Won’t Be Gone, the Chicago Reader hailed the album’s “expansive ripper ‘Cicero’…[which] arcs from balladic mandolin and ambient noise into a ripping Crazy Horse rave-up.”
The band recently released their new single "Winter Pt. III" on February 16th, 2026, the first song from a forthcoming 5 song EP. The EP includes a mixture of ambient-leaning instrumentals and vocal-based songs, drawing on a variety of earthy and atmospheric sounds and influences ranging from Ry Cooder to Brian Eno to Yo La Tengo.