Sonars are a two piece Electro-Psych outfit from Brighton (UK) and Bergamo (IT).
The band was founded by Frederick Paysden and Serena Oldrati, who share guitar, keyboard, synthesizer and bass playing duties whilst also singing, thanks to the use of loop stations and drum machines.
Their retro-futuristic sound draws inspiration from Electro-Psych bands such as Air, Gorillaz, Jagwar Ma, Radiohead, MGMT and Tame Impala, with a love for Sixties and Seventies rock.
Their self-produced debut EP “Jack Rust And The Dragonfly IV” was released on January 9, 2015 to positive critical acclaim, receiving enthusiastic press reviews and considerable radio airplay. The concept EP describes the fictitious voyage of astronaut Jack Rust aboard the space vessel Dragonfly IV, inspired by comics such as Jeff Hawke and Steve Ditko’s Doctor Strange.
During the 2015/16 leg of their “Dragonfly Tour” they toured extensively, performing over 200 concerts throughout Europe, and have played alongside acts such as; Verdena, The Lucid Dream, Gnoomes, Echoic, DTCV, Masonics, Holy Wave, DeWolff, The Warlocks, Dead Rabbits, Holy Nothing and The Cesarians.
In 2016, Sonars won the prestigious and nationally acclaimed Arezzo Wave competition, claiming the title of “Best Band in Italy 2016” which lead to their performance at Europavox Festival in France alongside internationally acclaimed bands such as The Last Shadow Puppets.
In January 2017 they performed at Eurosonic Noorderslag in Groningen (NL) alongside acts such as Warhaus and were mentioned by Drowned in Sound as one of the top acts to watch out for at the festival.