Guatemalan cellist Mabe Fratti and U.S. guitarist Bill Orcutt have teamed up for a new LP titled Almost Waking, set for release on May 22 via Unheard of Hope. The duo shared the title track and another song, "El inicio es cuestión de suerte," following their online collaboration sparked by Fratti's praise of Orcutt's work. Both artists, known for their prolific output, worked remotely for nearly a year on the project.
Mabe Fratti and Bill Orcutt's collaboration began unexpectedly after Fratti mentioned Orcutt's self-titled 2017 album among her favorites. In a press release, Fratti explained, “I connected a lot with his music and I had no idea that years later we would be collaborating!” She described the process: “It was a total surprise that we started chatting on the internet about collaborating! We bounced ideas back and forth, all starting with a series of guitar solo stuff that Bill sent me.”
Fratti's bandmate from Titanic, I. La Catolica, contributed to some tracks while working in Mexico City. Together, they aimed to “decipher the harmonic possibilities of Bill’s ideas and very carefully develop some good melodies that followed the guitar correctly.” The vocal melodies adhered to the same approach, with the album featuring ample space but including one track where Fratti harmonized vocals more boldly. Fratti noted the result has “this nostalgic vibe” and expressed gratitude for the “crazy coincidence that made it happen.”
Orcutt shared on social media how the partnership formed: “A couple years ago Mabe Fratti made the mistake of mentioning my name in a list of her favorite albums. Without shame or dignity, I immediately sent an email proposing a collaboration. I knew about her bc [Orcutt’s longtime collaborator Chris] Corsano played w her and said she’s incredible.” He praised the remote file-trading process over almost a year, calling Fratti “super creative, open, encouraging, an amazing player and just crazy smart.”
Both artists have been active recently. Fratti released Hagen with Titanic, ranked No. 19 in Pitchfork’s Best Albums of 2025. Orcutt put out Music in Continuous Motion, a guitar quartet record.
