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
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
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]
