Some Like It Hot

They made their big splash in 2023 with two ace albums for Matador, Tracey Denim and The Twits. But their terrific new Some Like It Hot is even cockier, steamier, more insistent — one of the year’s kickiest indie-rock thrillers.

‘Some Like It Hot’ blurs the line between performance and vulnerability. bar italia’s lyrics explore identity and conflict, with the duality giving the album its undeniable pull.

The album has a gleeful, headlong, nearly slapstick propulsion. .... There are some tranquil, romantic interludes, like the Julee Cruise-ish “Plastered” and the dream-pop, 4AD drift of “The Lady Vanishes,” and that’s all fine, but what this band does best is unpredictability, where you never know who will take the mic next, or where a song will take its latest sharp turn. This time, Bar Italia goes into some satisfyingly dark and noisy places, and cheers to that.

There's a succinctness to Some Like It Hot. .... But pleasingly, they've not junked their angsty edge amid this pop-oriented realignment. [Nov 2025, p.88]

The rough edges remain, but now they sparkle rather than scratch. It may not turn indie music on its head, but it’s full of sly winks, propulsive melodies, and a sense of unvarnished fun. In the current binfire we’re living through, that feels like a small triumph.

Some long-term fans may miss the studied cool of the band’s earlier material, and there’s a definite sense that, as good as they can be, Bar Italia are still a work in progress. Yet it’s a work in progress that can, when they hit the right notes, sound utterly thrilling.

By maneuvering their psychedelia to one side, the band has crafted their most clearly defined record to date. For those in love with bar italia for their uncanny qualities, there’s still something here, but the verdict on intention is up.

This south London trio are fine-tuning their battling-for-attention combination of three voices and elegantly scruffy indie-rock. [Dec 2025, p.29]

Mileage on the more pastoral, slow tunes may vary, but bar italia are now a band in flux: they've mastered the chaos, and here is their first, true attempt to merge the hypnagogic impulses of their early efforts with the choleric punk of their present.

I’m all for a band trying to make a statement about themselves, but in trying to shed the labels that have tailed them for years, bar italia have lost their spark.

Nobody particularly wants the descriptor "mature" to be slapped on their work, but it applies perfectly here. [Nov 2025, p.102]

Ironically, in its militaristic pursuit of fun, Some Like It Hot often winds up feeling deeply rigid—stripped of the spunk and nuance that once made Bar Italia so enchanting.

The drunken waltz of Bad Reputation offers a few minutes of interest, but the album fails to adequately raise the temperature. [Nov 2025, p.81]