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Bar Italia (band)

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Bar Italia
OriginLondon, England
Genres
Years active2019–present
Labels
Members
  • Nina Cristante
  • Sam Fenton
  • Jezmi Tarik Fehmi
Websitehttps://baritaliaa.com

Bar Italia, stylized in lowercase, are a British indie rock band formed in London in 2019.[1] The band consists of members Nina Cristante (vocals), Sam Fenton (vocals, guitar), and Jezmi Tarik Fehmi (vocals, guitar).[2] Their name is derived from the Soho café Bar Italia.[3]

Biography

[edit]

The Italian-born Cristante grew up in Rome but moved to London in 2007. Fenton and Fehmi lived in a flat below Cristante in Peckham, where they met. In 2019, they began making music together.[4]

From 2020 onwards, the band released four albums, three EPs and multiple singles through World Music, the record label founded by London musicians Dean Blunt and Inga Copeland.[5][6]

They were noted as a "new act to watch" by The Face magazine and the number one "rising star to look out for in 2023" by The Times.[2][7] Their 2022 EP CDR was placed at number one on Gorilla vs. Bear's list of the best EPs of 2022,[8] and their track "Miracle Crush" was placed at number 13 on Crack's list of the 25 best songs of 2022.[9]

In March 2023, it was announced they had signed with Matador Records.[10] They released Tracey Denim in May 2023, while their second album of the year, The Twits, released in November and was supported by European and North American tour dates.[11] Both albums received "generally favorable" reviews according to rating aggregator Metacritic,[12][13] with French cultural magazine Les Inrocks placing the two projects collectively at number 10 in their list of the best albums of the year.[14] Allmusic called The Twits a reflection of the group's growth "into an increasingly singular, expressive band",[15] and the record debuted at No. 36 on the UK Albums Chart, the band's highest placement as of 2023.[16]

Other projects

[edit]

Fehmi and Fenton also make music as a duo under the name Double Virgo, a reference to their shared astrological star sign.[3] Since 2020, they have created a number of indie rock and shoegaze records together, produced by Vegyn and released via his label, PLZ Make It Ruins.[17]

Nina Cristante has created lo-fi pop music under the alias Nina (stylized NINA), often collaborating with producer and former label mate, Dean Blunt.[18][19][20]

Members

[edit]

Current members

  • Nina Cristante – vocals (2020–present)
  • Sam Fenton – vocals, guitar (2020–present)
  • Jezmi Tarik Fehmi – vocals, guitar (2020–present)

Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]
  • Quarrel (World Music, 2020)
  • Bedhead (World Music, 2021)
  • Tracey Denim (Matador, 2023)
  • The Twits (Matador, 2023)

EPs

[edit]
  • Angelica Pilled (World Music, 2020)
  • CDR (self-released, 2022)
  • The Tw*ts (Matador, 2024)

Singles

[edit]
List of singles, showing year released, album name and label
Title Year Album Label
"Banks" 2022 CDR World Music
"Miracle Crush" World Music
"Polly Armour" self-released
"Nurse!" 2023 Tracey Denim Matador
"Punkt!" Matador
"Changer" Matador
"My Little Tony" The Twits Matador
"Jelsy" Matador
"World's Greatest Emoter" Matador

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2024 Libera Awards Breakthrough Artist N/A Nominated [21]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Aroesti, Rachel (27 October 2023). "'I'd rather be boring than mysterious': Bar Italia on anonymity, originality and disliking Pulp". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b "10 rising music acts we think you'll love". The Face. 5 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b Ewens, Hannah (8 January 2024). "Cover story: Bar Italia – The Rest Is History". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Welcome to Nina Cristante's world". The Face. 12 December 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  5. ^ Darville, Jordan (16 November 2022). "Song You Need: bar italia spin indie rock gold from ambivalence on "Polly Armour"". The FADER.
  6. ^ "Dean Blunt and Inga Copeland, formerly Hype Williams, launch new label". Fact. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  7. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (20 June 2023). "Best music acts of 2023 — 10 rising stars to listen out for". The Times.
  8. ^ "gorilla vs bear's EPs of 2022". Gorilla vs. Bear. 12 December 2022.
  9. ^ "Best songs of 2022: Our top 25 tracks". Crack Magazine.
  10. ^ Minsker, Evan (9 March 2023). "Bar Italia Sign to Matador, Share New Song "Nurse!"". Pitchfork.
  11. ^ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (19 September 2023). "Bar Italia Announce New Album The Twits, Share Video for New Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Tracey Denim by bar italia". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  13. ^ "The Twits by bar italia". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  14. ^ "Découvrez nos 100 meilleurs albums de 2023 (partie 4/4)". Les Inrocks (in French). Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  15. ^ Phares, Heather. "The Twits". Allmusic. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  16. ^ "BAR ITALIA". Official Charts. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Bar Italia". Beggars Music. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  18. ^ White, Jessica (20 May 2023). "One to watch: Bar Italia". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  19. ^ Cochrane, Key (31 May 2022). "NINA shares new Dean Blunt produced single, grandiosee". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  20. ^ Dawson, Brit (12 December 2023). "Welcome to Nina Cristante's world". The Face. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  21. ^ Grein, Paul (20 March 2024). "Killer Mike, Mitski, Caroline Polachek Among Top Nominees for 2024 Libera Awards". Billboard. Retrieved 12 April 2024.


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