Meet Puà

Puà is an indie pop duo from Rome known for their unique blend of wistful candlelight bedroom pop and powerful anthemic outbursts. Their music is characterized by lush melodies, dreamy atmospheres, and a sense of nostalgia.

With influences from the music of the seventies, Puà incorporates vintage instruments, rich harmonies, and a certain retro charm into their songs. This talented duo stands out in the indie music scene for their heartfelt and nostalgic approach to crafting music.

PUÀ were born from the encounter between singer-songwriter and producer Edoardo Elia and singer-songwriter and visual artist Simona Catalani, who met in 2021 at Pom Pom Studio in Rome, Italy, during the recordings of the debut album of Simona’s solo project, Simmcat.

They both share a visceral love for melancholic melodies and all forms of pop music. The idea for their first album, Animali, was born in 2019 by Edoardo, during long late-night writing sessions in his studio. He had no idea of the record that would come out of it; the focus was all on a handful of melodies, a few chords, and the urgency to unconsciously follow the flow of words that emerged freely. However, this two-year process did not seem to have reached a final shape, leading Edoardo to decide to open himself up to outside collaborations. And that is how the band was born, when Simona went to Pom Pom Studio to sing the first chorus of Touch Me. In that magical moment, they both realize that only the union of their two voices can express the full potential of the project; suddenly the songs appear finished, the arrangements aligned, and the aesthetic clear. A few months later comes the name Puà, representing a simple and clear sound. Once the record was mixed, WWNBB and Dischi Sotterranei agreed to a joint release. On February 2nd, the singles Touch Me and Demelza came out in a double release.

What does your music say about you?

It surely reflects our personal journey in life. For me (Edo) also works as my spiritual journal. It very much feels like a photograph of our existence in this moment. We’ve both used writing to navigate through the obstacles of our life but also to celebrate what we loved and lighten the load. Each word and each sound are a precise representation of our inner world and our aesthetic that lives on the surface. So, it probably says that we are intense people that can also laugh about it!

What is your favourite song to perform?

Demelza is probably one of the most fun to play. We have enough time and space at the beginning to get lost into it without having too much going on around us. Then that final chorus hits right on time to bring us back in the room. It’s pretty magical every time.

Who would you most like to collaborate with?

We’re both used to working on our own, the writing process and production side is to us a delicate craft. So far, we’ve kept it pretty homemade, but we love to change so much and we’re sure our music could benefit an external input. Our next record will most likely be made between San Francisco and L.A. Working with some talented friends of ours. Then who knows, in our very remote future dream, superstar names like Rado or Shawn Everett could be interested in our songs. Who knows!

What is the best advice you have been given?

When a melody comes, write 1 verse and 1 chorus straightaway. The rest is usually just fun.

What is one message you would give to your fans?

Take time to listen to songs you don’t like. Try to force yourself against an alorigthm that makes you listen to music that “you may also like”. You’d be surprised how much there is out there that best match with your inner self.

Released on February 2nd via WWNBB Collective and Dischi Sotterranei, Touch Me and Demelza are the first two singles taken from their debut album Animali, which will be released in the coming months.

Touch Me is the band’s founding track; the one that, after years of Edoardo working alone on songs, made them realize that only the union of their voices could express the potential of the project, which thus turned into a duo. It is a narcotic ballad embellished with brushstrokes of piano, synth and lead guitar where, as if on a launching pad, the ending explodes in the two-voice invocation «Please touch me»: a request for help that occurs during the darkest moment, «When the night comes», to relieve from the loneliness and fear of not being able to communicate with each other.

The launching ramp structure also characterizes Demelza, where sophisticated synth parts dialogue with a folk guitar, shaping an intense and nuanced sound, like an existential hangover from which one can wake up once understanding their position in the world so that they can provide help to the most fragile, those who have not yet found their identity.

In both songs, the voices are intertwined in surprising harmony, among the textures of an aesthetic that germinates in the decadent folk song of Bowian memory and then matures into a watercolor, melancholic pop psychedelia. Two little gems of songwriting which stand out for their ability to channel expressive urgency into an elegant compromise between classic and contemporary.