Columbia

Columbia is a Brazilian indie rock group from Rio de Janeiro, active from 2004. It forms in the city’s independent music scene of the early 2000s and features female vocals, with songs in Portuguese.

Style and influences

The band’s sound is associated with noisy indie rock and is often compared with U2, Oasis, The Cure, Placebo, Radiohead and Interpol. These references appear through Fernanda Marques’s vocals and through lyrics that deal with relationships and everyday life.

Releases

Its discography includes the EP A Soma das Horas and the single Amanhã (não pode ser igual). The first full-length release is O que você não quis dizer, followed by the single Mais Cedo and the album Um quarto escuro. The latter is described as darker, more melancholy and more concept-driven than the earlier record, with heavier lyrical themes and a deeper vocal delivery from Fernanda Marques.

Line-up

The core members are Fernanda Marques on vocals, Bruno Vouzella on guitars, Filipi Cavalcante on bass, and Fred Mendes on drums. Fernanda Marques and Bruno Vouzella are present from the start. Filipi Cavalcante is listed as leaving and later returning, and Fred Mendes joins in 2005.

Other members

Former members include Bruno Durão on bass, Fabio Penna on guitar and piano, and Manoel Magalhães on guitar. The group’s membership changes alongside its early releases and later recording period.