Europop by OSTIA

Their story was so good, it almost sounded a bit contrived: two young people from Berlin who meet and fall in love in Rome want to conquer Italy as a music duo. They set fire to DIY live clubs, aperitivo bars and autonomous summer festivals to achieve the ultimate goal of all cantautori and schlageristi: the “Sanremo Festival” - the time-honored madre of the Eurovision Contest and national TV street sweeper.

Just like their music: almost too romantic and euphoric to be true. Synthy, but never cool pop, in which the captivating voices of Lo Selbo (Sebastian Eppner) and Ossi Viola (Albertine Sarges) were able to outshine everything. Nevertheless, Itaca could not be marketed as nostalgic 80s Italo-pop revenants (despite their stylish outfits!) because their songs were always an idea too deep and thoroughly progressive. Critics and the band themselves referred to names such as Lucio Battisti, Human League and The Knife before the name Eros Ramazzotti was even mentioned once.

They turned down an invitation to the Italian “X-Factor” in 2019. The mockumentary “San Remo” from the same year about their journey of longing through the Italian entertainment periphery inevitably dealt a lot with failure. And their third album was even in danger of not being released at all. Frustration during mixing, fruitless label negotiations; then: corona. After that, Albertine Sarges' solo career set the course. It started so successfully that even a UK headlining tour became possible.

Seven eternal years after the second Itaca album MI MANCHI, EUROPOP is now being released anyway. As a different album for a changed world. Itaca have even changed their name to Ostia, after the Roman district at the mouth of the Tiber where their adventure began. Some of the lyrics were translated from Italian into English. This bilingualism, also as a reference to Kraftwerk's “Trans-Europa Express” era, is intended to emphasize that it is now about something bigger than San Remo: Europe.

However, this also makes doubts and fears the defining themes of EUROPOP. Fear that leads to more and more isolation and violence everywhere. But also the fear of losing the freedoms we have won including our own European identity. As a political scientist with a doctorate, Sebastian has a special perspective on this. And he and Albertine have gained relevant experience of this on tour, be it in the UK shortly after Brexit or in Italy in their personal confrontation with fascism. It's no coincidence that the tiny Fiat Panda on the cover looks like an endangered animal in the midst of the overpowering, glowing red Alps (in the style of a Bob Ross oil painting, with a “Stranger Things” flavour). The EUROPOP lettering on the back cover was obviously forged in an eternal metal fire. And in the video for the single “Panda Bianca”, horror lurks in the legendary subcompact car itself. A bizarre and bloodthirsty quote game, in complete contrast to this floating, tender travel and love song.

EUROPOP is darker, more urgent, more confrontational than anything Itaca/Ostia have stood for so far. But as long as this leads to basslines that challenge you to dance, as in “Who Are You” (don't miss the hilarious video!) or to a swirling arrangement like in “Karma Algoritmo”, in which Ossi Viola infects us with the anti-vibes of Italian squatters, the confrontation with darkness has already been worthwhile.

Lo Selbo has never been heard in the Itaca cosmos as melancholy and almost despondent as in the two concluding songs “Carpe Noctem” (appearance: the author Houellebecque) and “Graciano” (appearance: the boxer Rocchigiani, who died in an accident in Sicily). But it is precisely this that makes EUROPOP an impressive example of how far this artistic concept can be continued and painted with new visions. For as romantic and euphoric as the story of Itaca may have been so far, that of Ostia promises even greater adventures.

Oliver Götz

OSTIA are Lo Selbo, Ossi Viola aka Albertine Sarges, Oskar Militia and Garagen Uwe. Formerly known as "Itaca", they are "Berlins loveliest answer to the Eurocrisis". Highly melodic retrowave, first-class songwriting, and live performances full of pathos, heart and soul in a stroboscopic storm.

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