Female trio Sutari recycle traditional folk songs from Poland and Lithuania with proper respect and competence. But at the same time, they employ historic instruments next to various kitchen and garage hardware.

That’s why they call themselves “a folk kitchen avant-garde group”. Sutari’s debut album, “Wiano” (“Bride Price”), has just been released thanks to the ingenious invention of crowdfunding. Here’s their new single, “Kupalnocka”, and their story.

“This song is based on a folk melody traditionally sung during the Kupala Night – a Slavic holiday related to the summer solstice. But it can also be a love song. A flirtatious one,” says Basia Songin, one of Sutari’s three singers/instrumentalists together with Katarzyna Kapela and Zofia Barańska.

“We recorded the video in the Owl Mountains in south-west Poland. It was a rainy day. But when we got to the place, it suddenly cleared up and all the moisture trapped in the forest started to evaporate, creating a magical atmosphere perfectly matching our story.”

“Sutari means to harmonize, to agree. The word comes from the Lithuanian language, and it’s related to Sutartines – traditional women’s songs for multiple voices typical of this country. This idea of women singing together in perfect harmony inspired us to try it ourselves – with all the baggage of our modern nature.”

“Our debut album, ‘Wiano’, is meant to reflect ordinary, day-to-day character of our music. Hence each of the songs is placed in a particular space: on the shore of a lake, in a city center, in a kitchen. We wanted to avoid the sterility of the recording studio, even risking some imperfections. One of the songs was actually recorded in a forest. We turned our voices toward the trees, and listened back as they answer.”

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You can follow Sutari on Facebook and YouTube, or visit their official website.