Bar Italia

Bar Italia formed in London in 2019, Nina Cristante, Jezmi Fehmi, and Sam Fenton developing a sound rooted in lo-fi indie rock and post-punk that was immediately atmospheric and distinctive. Their music had a hazy, half-awake quality — guitars that seemed to drift in and out of focus, vocals that sat low in the mix, rhythms that felt like they might dissolve at any moment. It was music that rewarded close listening and resisted easy categorisation.

A series of releases on Matador Records built a devoted following before their breakthrough album 'Tracey Denim' (2023) earned them a Mercury Prize nomination and widespread critical acclaim. The record's combination of lo-fi aesthetics, post-punk energy, and genuine emotional depth made it one of the most talked-about British albums of the year. Tracks like 'Nurse!' and 'my little tony' showed a band with a fully formed identity and a sound that was entirely their own.

'The Twits' (2024) confirmed their status as one of the most important new British acts — a more expansive record that retained the hazy intimacy of its predecessor while pushing into new sonic territory. Bar Italia remain one of the most genuinely distinctive acts in contemporary British music, their refusal to make music that is easy or immediately accessible a mark of genuine artistic integrity rather than wilful obscurantism.