Patawawa

The English nu-disco outfit Patawawa merges vintage disco textures from the 1970s with 1980s synth-pop textures, yielding a fluid, tuneful, and buoyant atmosphere built for the dance floor.

Schoolfriends Rory Lovatt, responsible for songwriting and instrumentation, and vocalist Sam Wilmot launched Patawawa in 2014 inside the quiet Derbyshire town of Matlock at the center of England; the pair had already been writing music together since age fourteen. After composing several pieces they felt required a female voice, they held an audition for classmate Beth Garrett and offered her the role immediately. Drawing on touchstones that stretch from Chic and Sister Sledge through Michael Jackson, Fleetwood Mac, and Kate Bush, the trio shaped a nostalgic aesthetic refracted via a present-day indie-electronic lens. Early digital releases circulated online, received an early lift from local radio exposure, and led to live shows that cultivated a nationwide following drawn to the group’s bright, affirmative mood. Following the digital EPs Hold Tight and Bedroom, the band issued its first physical single, “Wires,” in 2019, with the debut album Power-Up appearing in 2021.