FME 2025: APACALDA Cracks the Door for Us

Bringing together dark tones, bedroom boudoir, and electrifying pop sensibilities, APACALDA was one of the steadiest acts at FME on Saturday. Cassandra Angheluta brought incredible intimacy to the once-sterile environment of L’ordre Loyal des Moose, drawing us in with dark, heavy, yet incredibly restrained and refined tracks. Her band, made up of Raphy Bedard de Vilca (bass) and Caleb LeBel (drums), is right in the pocket alongside her, pulling us through pitch-black waters like ferrymen as we’re treated to maze-like song structures and captivating vocals. Bedard de Vilca plays with poise and a seemingly endless supply of restrained energy, while LeBel’s intricate, subtle drum work provides the perfect energy.

The word for Apacalda is restraint. Like a tight bandage on an old wound, Angheluta can shift effortlessly from breathy, secretive passages to incredible climaxes, dancing on a tightrope in a world of her own while she does.

There’s a deep reservoir of vulnerability and pain behind the initially catchy offerings of Apacalda, something that feels almost too private to look at directly. But still, Angheluta pulls us back every time, inviting us, then demanding us to look at the bloodied parts of her that produce such a visceral, compelling sound. Apacalda is at once instantly approachable and deeply challenging, caught in the middle of two extremes to deliver a beautiful tension unlike anything else we saw this weekend.

Photos by Jacob Zweig

crowd shot: Julia Mela