Mabe Fratti and Bill Orcutt have joined forces for a new album, Almost Waking, due May 22 on Unheard of Hope. The project, announced alongside two preview tracks, pairs Fratti’s cello with Orcutt’s idiosyncratic guitar work — a meeting that fans of experimental improv should notice immediately.
The collaboration grew out of mutual admiration and an unlikely digital friendship. Fratti, who had been following Orcutt’s work since his 2017 solo record, opened a conversation that quickly became creative exchange. Orcutt responded enthusiastically, and the two spent nearly a year trading musical files and building pieces remotely.
How the record took shape
Working across borders — Fratti in Mexico City with Titanic bandmate I. La Catolica and Orcutt in the U.S. — the pair approached the sessions with restraint. Fratti and her collaborator parsed Orcutt’s guitar sketches, exploring harmonic options and shaping vocal lines that would sit naturally against the guitar’s contours.
Rather than fill every moment, the duo often prioritized silence and space, leaving room for texture and resonance. On one track Fratti pursued a more conventional vocal harmony approach, but most of the album favors sparse interplay and a quietly reflective mood.
- Album: Almost Waking
- Artists: Mabe Fratti (cello, vocals) and Bill Orcutt (guitar)
- Label: Unheard of Hope
- Release date: May 22
- Preview tracks: “Almost Waking” (title track) and “El inicio es cuestión de suerte”
- Process: Remote file exchanges over roughly a year; additional contributions from I. La Catolica
Orcutt has described the collaboration as energizing, noting Fratti’s openness and inventiveness during the file-trading process. Fratti says the finished record carries a nostalgic quality she’s pleased with, calling the partnership a fortunate coincidence that yielded unexpected musical chemistry.
Both musicians remain prolific: Fratti released Hagen with Titanic last year, a record that appeared on Pitchfork’s year-end list at No. 19, while Orcutt issued the guitar quartet Music in Continuous Motion. Their new LP continues a recent run of adventurous releases from both artists and reinforces their standing in the experimental scene.
Why this matters now
The album underscores how remote collaboration has become a durable creative model for avant-garde musicians, allowing cross-cultural pairings that might have been logistically difficult a decade ago. For listeners, Almost Waking promises an intimate, minimalist conversation between cello and electric guitar rather than conventional songcraft.
Two tracks are already available to stream, offering the clearest preview of the album’s tone: patient, restrained, and focused on textural dialogue rather than flashy virtuosity. For followers of modern improvisation and chamber-noise hybrids, the record will be one to watch when it arrives later this month.
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