Latvian trio Carnival Youth are back with infectious double A-side single, “Birthday” and “Phantom Planet” which drops on 16th March on their own label.
The quirky cuts blend hazy vocals with Tame Impala-esque jangle guitars, and are bound to excite their fans around the globe.
Carnival Youth are Edgars Kaupers, Emīls Kaupers, Roberts Vanags and Aleksis Luriņš and they offer these tracks as a teaser from their much anticipated third album, “Good Luck” slated for an August 2019 release.
Emils describes “Birthday” as feeling careless and celebratory. he says: “It’s interesting how this one day each year makes us feel so special that we can forget about everything else and there are no more responsibilities. That day we feel like we can be the happiest, but, of course, it’s just a beautiful illusion”.
Talking about “Phantom Planet”, one of the last songs they created for the album, he added: “We felt that the verse had this darkish, groovy, hip-hop vibe, so the lyrics came up about the inner world, the one we always feel, but aren’t always in control of.
“How it’s in contrast with the other world – the everyday normal side of us. A dialogue like one Dale Cooper’s character has in Twin Peaks. But it’s not a fight, it’s cohabitation.”
Their new music was recorded last summer in Sao Paulo, Brazil, produced by long-time collaborator Gatis Zakis and mixed by Grammy-winning producer Nicolas Verhnes, – who previously worked with Animal Collective, Deerhunter, Dirty Projectors, Wild Nothing, The War on Drugs and several others.
After a series of internationally acclaimed releases, the band were dubbed Latvia’s biggest musical export. They are part of a new generation of bands coming out from the Baltic. Carnival Youth were the first Latvian act to win The European Border Breakers Award (EBBA) and EBBA ‘Public Choice Award’ at Eurosonic.
Their debut EP ‘Never Have Enough’ opened the doors to the European Festival circuit, as well as gaining the band radio support across Europe and the UK, including backing from 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq.
Three years later and notching up more than two million Spotify plays, their debut album ‘No Clouds Allowed’ was Best Debut Album of The Year in Latvia, earning them support from BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens, John Kennedy on Xposure, and Jim Gellatly on Amazing Radio.
Their sophomore album “Propeller” won them more deserved widespread acclaim and now many taste-makers and so-called influencers are gagging to get an earful of the imminent next album, due for release on 16th August, this summer.
