This aptly named threesome comes alive where the new and old collide and spark, taking the hauntological blasts from the past – scratchy archive recordings of long vanished village singers – splicing the traditional instruments with electronics and pulling it right into the 21st century.

They have acquired near rockstar status in Estonia and beyond with songs based on local folk traditions. Their distinctive, sometimes eerie brand of stomping “folk rock meets original field recordings” involves instrumentation like Estonian bagpipes, zither and jew’s harp, along with guitar and drums, that propel the rock feeling throughout.

The first half of the album really feels like a non-stop party, carried out at a breathless pace with thumping guitar riffs, bagpipes and chanting vocals. The melodic lines of “Kullakarva” are familiarly lifted and fleshed out, whilst the more mellow side of their work is demonstrated by the charming children’s song, “Lullaby.
The Guardian rated their latest output Kullakarva” as four points out of five and predicted that they will become one of the bands of the year.

*

Stream “Kullakarva / Shimmer Gold” on Spotify.