Bar Italia and The New Alternative
The development and popularity of the indie and alternative genres has seen a significant shift since the early 2010s, slowly rising out of the woodworks as the popularity of mainstream pop acts of the years prior began to fade. In the United States, indie/alternative artists like Mac Demarco, Steve Lacy, Clairo, Arctic Monkeys and Men I Trust have come to define a new era within the genre that has seen an explosion in popularity over the past five years. Look no further than the aforementioned Steve Lacy and his chart topping single “Bad Habit” to see how big the genre has become.
Although each artist mentioned has grown and developed since their earlier releases, there is a growing sense of stagnation with the soundscape of the genre as more artists begin to flood the scene, and capitalize off of its growing popularity. The emergence of Tik Tok in the music industry has significantly affected the indie/alternative scene, and although the net impact of this influence is an entirely different debate in itself, it’s still important to mention in the discussion, as it has played a role in generalizing the sound of the genre.
None of these artists should be at fault for killing the sound of indie and alternative, but their massive influence on the scene has defined the sound of modern indie. Chorused guitars, soft drums, chill pads, hush vocals, and jangly lead guitar melodies have become a staple of the indie/alternative sound. Keeping to this style is always a safe bet to please fans and maintain a steady flow of streams, but in return has created a rift in the creative outlook of the genre, with younger artists following in the footsteps of their obvious influences.
The question posed here is simple: What is the future of the indie and alternative soundscape?
To answer that we must travel overseas to the UK, where the sonic landscape of indie and alternative takes on a different flavor. The sound is dry, gritty, and gloomy in nature, with a post-punk flair that draws influence from bands like Gang of Four, The Cure, and Joy Division. Coming to the forefront of this new wave of UK indie/alternative is the London trio bar italia, a band whose anonymity and unique sound has redefined the direction of the genre.
The band consists of three members: Nina Cristante, Sam Fenton, and Jezmi Tarik. Nina Cristanste, going under the artistic pseudonym NINA, is an Italian-born artist, nutritionist, and physical trainer among other things. Most of NINA’s solo music is closely affiliated with legendary avant-garde and underground artist Dean Blunt, with majority of her production coming from Dean himself. NINA’s music is cryptic, lyrically sparse, and esoteric in nature, with many of her songs functioning like a short poem for the listener.
Sam Fenton and Jezmi Tarik make up the two-piece band Double Virgo, whose style can be described as a mix between grunge and 90s era britpop. Standout songs like “burning bridges” and “Bingethinking” highlight the band’s mix of gritty lo-fi production and catchy lyrical passages. The production and style they created with Double Virgo provided the direction for the sound of bar italia.
Bar italia’s origin is completely unknown, as they seemingly popped up out of nowhere and began to release a steady stream of music. Their debut album Quarrel was released in September 2020, which was followed up by their ANGELICA PILLED EP a few months later in November. Early 2021 saw the release of their second full album bedhead, before the band took a year-long hiatus from releases. Production across all three releases was done entirely by Fenton, Tarik, and Dean Blunt, who’s unique and experimental style has an obvious influence on all three projects.
The soundscape of bar italia is vast and at times highly experimental, with the band seemingly never afraid to try something a bit off the cuff. Nearly all the songs off their first two albums barely scratch the two-minute mark, giving them the space to explore multiple ideas across a single release.
Take the song “rage quit” off their second album bedhead, a distorted forty-nine second indie rock cut featuring a poetic vocal refrain and grungy acoustic guitar riff. It seems nonsensical to give less than a minute to one of the standout tracks from the album, but that is exactly what makes bar italia so captivating; they never let the listener become too comfortable. The track “skylinny” off their debut Quarrel is another excellent piece of lo-fi alt rock, with infectious vocals from NINA and Fenton accompanied by some post-punk-esque guitar, the song highlights the band’s ability to mix experimental ideas with simple yet catchy songwriting.
The genius of bar italia comes out through this diverse sonic palette, with the band continually finding ways to keep their sound fresh, yet true to their roots, all without doing too much. Their sound is simplistic in nature, with most songs featuring a few guitar tracks and drums, but the music never feels underproduced, consistently striking a fine balance in their production that feels just right. Although the band lacks a defined lead singer, they use this to their advantage, utilizing the vocals of all three members to stay dynamic and unpredictable. NINA brings her trademark style as mentioned earlier, while Sam Fenton and Jezmi Tarik provide moody vocals and grungy refrains respectively.
Recent material from the band has seen them shift away from the more experimental sounds of their previous projects, likely due to the fact that Dean Blunt seems to have stepped away from assisting in the bands production. New singles “Banks”, “miracle crush”, and “Polly Armour” illustrate a greater emphasis on simple cohesive song structures and incorporating all three members on each track, which in turn has produced some of bar italia’s best work to date. “Polly Armour” is a particular highlight: uncharacteristically uptempo compared to previous work, the quick drums, driving guitar riffs, and solid vocal performances from all three members perfectly illustrates their rapid evolution.
In retrospect, bar italia’s earlier albums seem like demo tapes, with the band using the short tracks as a method of finding the direction they wanted to take. This off-kilter approach is something that indie and alternative artists could learn from in the search for a new sound; it shows a lack of fearlessness and vulnerability that modern artists seem to stray away from, who favor a clean-cut, presentable approach.
Bar italia represents a new age in the indie and alternative scene, unafraid of experimentation (or any expectation), and willing to give themselves the space to grow and develop their sound. There is no ominous teasing of music, or attempts to build hype around their releases; their music simply comes when it does. Bar italia as a whole, and as individual members, are the ideal representation of a true artist, one who is focused solely on the art over anything else, which is a breath of fresh air in the modern (corporate) music market.
Only time will tell whether bar italia receives the attention they deserve, but nevertheless they have artistically surpassed nearly everyone within their scene in only a few short years. They are the embodiment of the new alternative: bold, innovative, and true to their style. In a genre that has felt creatively stagnant for many years, bar italia brings a new hope for the future of indie and alternative music.
