If you’ve been wondering what to listen to lately or perused Spotify and social media searching for the next emerging band that would restore your faith in The State of Music, our Emerging band lineup feature is for you. We checked in with a few of the bands we think have a unique voice in the musical landscape to inspire a new generation of concert-goers and record-buyers alike. In this Auxiliary Online Content that pairs with our Summer 2020 Issue you’ll find more background and photos on each band, this time we are focusing on Fatamorgana.
Roll Call
Patrycja Proniewska : vocals
Louis Harding : synths and drum machines
You might not have heard of synthpop/new wave duo Fatamorgana, but you’ve likely heard the talented members of Fatamorgana in other projects: Louis has been in a number of punk bands around the UK (Crash the Pose, Good Throb, The Love Triangle, The Shitty Limits and more) and vocalist Patrycja is associated with the buzzworthy postpunk Barcelona band Belgrado and punk band Sect, where she provides vocals and drums, respectively. Here is a taste of Patrycja’s vocals in Belgrado, a major shift toward dark 80s postpunk.
For a sample, Belgrado “Jeszcze Raz” from Siglo XXI released in 2013.
The music of Fatamorgana is a synth-infused daydream with the soft, lilting vocals by Patrycja in stark contrast to her other musical incarnations. Their debut full-length Terra Alta was released in early 2019 via La Vida Es Un Mus. As Patrycja describes it in our interview with Fatamorgana in the Summer 2020 Issue, “With this album we want to invite you to simultaneously contemplate and move your body. Terra Alta universe concerns themes of love, time travel, reflections on the future, the power of imagination and the mysteries of the world. I would like to imagine music as a creature teleporting between the majesty of nature and the glow of the discotheque.”
To hear Fatamorgana, check out “La Atlántida” from Terra Alta released in 2019.
The importance of location in Fatamorgana’s music is easy to understand when you think of the band residing in Barcelona, Spain which sits on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, near the Costa Dorada (“Golden Coast”). This is a city home to one of the busiest ports in Europe and is known for incredible architecture and a rich connection with the arts. With such a lush and culturally significant setting, the city they currently call home is, “A mix of people from many different places and this cultural mix is reflected in the alternative music scene. It is varied and always in motion.”
Patrycja goes on to explain her creative influences, saying, “After touring and visiting Japan with my other band a few years ago, I came back deeply influenced by some aspects of its culture and philosophy. That trip allowed me to think more about different ideas and aesthetic categories, like for example the concept of ‘wabi-sabi’ which inspires me a lot. This fascination has its effects on Fatamorgana’s music.”
Lastly, Fatamorgana’s video for “Espacio Profundo” from Terra Alta released in 2019.
You can hear more from Fatamorgana by visiting their Bandcamp and Spotify and by following them on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. Follow Patrycja’s other projects Sect and Belgrado on social media for more of their music and merch.
Check out the interview with Fatamorgana in the Summer 2020 Issue. To read more about bands we cover for this feature, check out all of our Emerging interviews.
