Recorded and mixed by Andreas Matheou at Hot Soap Studios in the Winter of 2024
Release: Single ”Long Way to Nirvana”
Written by: Michalis and Panayiota Kontovourkis
Cypriot band Kontovourkis & Co. make their debut with ‘Long Way to Nirvana’, a freewheeling, country-teased love song recalling the skiffle craze of yesteryear. Released on 29 March 2024, the uncomplicated bluegrass jaunt carries a foot-stomping pulse, driven by harmonica and an ungovernable joviality that’s hard not to dance to.
The story of Kontovourkis & Co. begins in Larnaca, on the southeast coast of Cyprus — an island shaped by intersecting continents, cultures and centuries of outside influence. Rather than lean into familiar ideas of resistance or exoticism, the band take things as they come, liberated by whatever sounds bring music to their ears. With its harmonica-powered engine and rowdy rendering, ‘Long Way to Nirvana’ embodies just that.
Formed in 2016 by Michalis Kontovourkis, a key figure in Larnaca’s music scene, the band honed their sound through live performances, drawing from rock, singer-songwriter and indie traditions. Following Michalis’ 2018 solo album ‘Ap tin Arxi’, the project grew increasingly collaborative. Their debut run of three singles was penned by harmonica player Duncan McCowan, drawing on his roots in London’s 1980s busking scene. ‘Long Way to Nirvana’ is followed by Mediterranean chanson ‘Avrio Mesimeri’ and singer-songwriter number ‘Last Farewell’.
At its heart, ‘Long Way to Nirvana’ captures the universal, slightly farcical dilemma of an unsophisticated man falling for an enlightened, cultivated woman. Panic-stricken but ready to sacrifice his world to reach hers, his endearing vulnerability meets her alluring, charismatic charm.