Singer-songwriter Giorgio Poi hails from northern Italy but he found his groove in his twenties when he was living in London and Berlin. After releasing his debut Italian-language record in 2017, he found fans and friends in the French band Phoenix and went on tour with them.

Now, Poi is back with his fourth album, Schegge, a fitting soundtrack to hot summer days spent floating across a swimming pool. Monocle caught up with him during the London leg of his tour to find out about his favourite songs, his musical influences and which Italian beaches we’ll find him on this summer.

Are you inspired by the summertime?
The sun has been part of my life for many years, except for when I was living in London. And, in those years, I missed it. I always felt this attraction towards the summertime; towards sunny places. I didn’t really have that before I lived there. Quite the opposite; I was attracted to gloomy weather.You always want the opposite of what you have.

Tell me about the title of your album, ‘Schegge’ [‘Shards’].
When there’s an explosion, there are shards everywhere.The idea is that, with the Big Bang, everything started to explode – and it is still exploding.We’re in the middle of it. We live our lives – we are born, we have kids of our own, we have friendships and relationships.There are people we love. Many things happen in life but I like the fact that we are all exploding together. It makes me feel like I’m part of something.

The song ‘Nelle Tue Piscine’ stands out to me.What’s it about?
In that song, the idea of swimming in a pool is applied to a relationship.When you’re with someone, you’re swimming in waters that you know well. They feel comfortable and have just the right temperature. But at some point, you might realise that you need more ocean around you and you might decide to go and face the waves. It’s about exploration.There’s a lot of the sea in the album – a lot of water.You could say that it’s a liquid record.

Do you have a favourite song on the record?
I like them all the same once I have reached a point where I’m satisfied and they’re done. It’s a difficult relationship with songs that you’ve written and you’veloved and hated while you were in the process of working on them. There’s one called “Un Aggettivo, Un Verbo, Una Parola” which I quite like these days. But tomorrow it will be a different one.

Who are your musical influences?
Growing up, my parents listened to Lucio Dalla, Francesco de Gregori and Fabrizio de André. They are classics and I think that they’re great, both musically and lyrically.

Are you excited for the summer and performing songs from your new album?
This is my fourth album, so the show right now is a selection of what I’ve done over the years. And we’ll play the whole of the new album – every song is in the show. It’s fresh and we haven’t done it before, so it’s exciting for us.

Where will we find you this summer?
My uncle has a small flat in Monte Argentario, Tuscany, so I’ve been going there for a few years. I like it but the Italian seaside does get busy in the summer.

‘Schegge’ is out now