Sofia Zadar is returning with their highly anticipated E.P “Hictopia.” Featuring previously released singles “Nostos” and “RED,” the E.P sheds light on three new tracks. The angelic “Polymyth” will immerse you with its ever changing dynamics and evolving instrumentation. “Sâmca” and “Hictopia” will make an impression with their hard-hitting beats, impactful synths and soulful vocal lines. Zadar showcases a refreshing and infectious take on alternative pop, experimenting with polyphony, atypical compositional structures and processed organic beats – merging sonic craft with lyrical perceptive storytelling.
Speaking about the E.P, they say: “I conceived Hictopia as an exploration of the transformative possibilities of the here-and-now, whether these are emotional, somatic or collective. I believe this album to be a much-needed thread that sows utopianism to what is ancestrally within ourselves and our communities. Our ways of life in tune with earth and body are already here, underneath the layered systems that forbid our thriving. We need not search a thousand miles outside, but rather inches beneath, for the nurture and insight to birth new worlds.”
Sofia Zadar is the moniker of Romanian queer musician Maria Sgarcitu. Sgarcitu’s experimental pop sound has been lauded by important tastemakers and fans alike. Their music aims to unite and engage marginalised communities, and lyrically explores posthumanist and utopian visions through a trauma-informed lens. After having lived in the UK for three years (where they studied History of Art at University of Cambridge), then Berlin and Barcelona, Maria returned to Bucharest in 2018 and immediately started putting a musical project together.
Speaking about their unique lyrical and musical sound, they say: “What drives me to make music is the need for emancipatory imaginaries and togetherness. Beyond the anthropocene, our multispecies sensibilities connect sky to ground, past to future, human to nonhuman. I want to hold space for these intermeshing sensibilities in a way that centres the deep seated needs of my communities as well as our work to world new worlds.”
Their impactful visual aesthetics and enchanting music performance is inspired by Maria’s adjacent career as a theatre composer and actress. This experience is tightly woven into Sofia Zadar’s theatrical stage performances and the constant preoccupation with set/costume design and art direction found in their music videos. The EP will be released in May 2023 with a local tour of Romania’s biggest cities to follow.
