OSTIA

The white Fiat Panda is parked awkwardly on the hard shoulder in Friedrichshain. Europop is blaring from the car radio. Lo Selbo and Albertine Sarges get out, singing along loudly, and try to heave the old Roland synth out of the trunk. They have been touring Italy for 10 years as Itaca, but now they are back over the mountains as "Ostia", bringing their rousing synthpop back to Berlin with Garage-Uwe on drums and Oskar Militia on bass. They are inspired by SURVIVE, A-ha, The Knife or Bladee, on greyer days by Schubert and Team Scheisse. In the Panda glove compartment lie cassettes by Battiato, Battisti, ZU and, they admit it, Calcutta. Their new record "Europop" will be released this summer via INTRNT EXPLRR.