bar italia are Nina Cristante, Jezmi Tarik Fehmi and Sam Fenton. Founded in lockdown, the group is an amalgamation of two cult projects – Double Virgo (Fehmi and Fenton’s project, released on Vegyn’s Plz Make It Ruins label) and NINA (Cristante’s solo project, signed to Dean Blunt’s World Music label).
Before signing to Matador, the London-based trio released two albums (‘Quarrel‘ and ‘bedhead’), an EP, as well as several singles on World Music.
In March 2023, upon signing to Matador, the band released their single ‘Nurse!’ which the Guardian described as “a hypnotic post-punk ballad.” Shortly after, their LP ‘Tracey Denim‘ arrived in May. Shrouded in mystery and a genuine buzz for raw, earnest songs, the album reached much critical acclaim.
Not long after the dust had settled on ‘Tracey Denim’, the band dropped their fourth album (and second on Matador), ‘The Twits’, in November 2023. The record featured sweetly optimistic musical gestures. Full of exhilarating psychedelia and rock, the album finds bar italia’s economical yet evocative songcraft taking raucous, mystic, unkempt, occasionally sinister, and wholly committed turns.
PRESS FOR BAR ITALIA:
“Scratchy guitars, melancholic voices and lyrics that make romantic turmoil sound cool – it can only be Bar Italia, one of THE FACE’s favourite new bands.” – The Face
”The duality across Tracey Denim makes each return all the more rewarding, and crucially, reassuring.” – The Quietus
“London’s most exciting new band”. – Crack
“The sound of slacker indie is as popular as ever, and this London trio are peak practitioners.” – The Guardian