Two years after their Matador debut, Tracey Denim, bar italia return with Some Like It Hot, an album that trades much of the lo-fi minimalism of their earlier work for cinematic ambition and sharper production. The result is a record brimming with vivid textures, dramatic vocals, and inventive arrangements, yet occasionally, the polish feels like it slightly dulls the uncanny charm that has long defined the band.
Opener “Fundraiser” immediately sets the tone, layering hooks and rhythms until it bursts with energy, while “Marble Arch” and “bad reputation” showcase the trio’s playful, intertwined vocals. Tracks like “Rooster” demonstrate the band’s flair for blending garage-punk fury with psychedelic flourishes, as Nina Cristante snarls, “When you say jump I jump.” Meanwhile, ballads like “The Lady Vanishes” and “Eyepatch” drift into dreamy soundscapes, Sam Fenton’s vocals gliding over hypnotic guitars, though at times these moments feel less distinctive than the band’s sharper, quirkier early tracks.
The title track, “Some Like It Hot,” encapsulates the album’s ambition: a drawn-out, cinematic finale with plucked strings, feedback, and evocative lines, “There’s one thing I regret, that you were on my mind, at any point that night.” It’s undeniably dramatic, but occasionally the theatricality overshadows the immediacy of the songs, and some of the album’s earlier charm, its raw unpredictability, feels partially subdued.
Bar italia also experiment with dynamics and pacing in ways that occasionally pay off spectacularly but sometimes feel uneven. Tracks such as “Plastered” and “Marble Arch” explore tender, narrative-driven moments, offering cinematic breadth, while songs like “Cowbella” and “Rooster” blast with energy and playful aggression. This contrast underscores the band’s willingness to push boundaries, though it can make the album feel slightly uneven on first listen, demanding patience from listeners to fully appreciate its layered textures and nuanced performances.
Yet bar italia’s evolution is undeniable. Some Like It Hot presents the band as confident, precise, and ambitious, capable of weaving indie rock, post-punk, and cinematic theatrics into something fully their own. While it might not hit the same uncanny highs of their lo-fi past, it is still a striking, meticulously crafted record, full of moments of brilliance and playful ingenuity.
