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Kontovourkis & Co. – Avrio Mesimeri (Single)

Recorded and mixed by Andreas Matheou at Hot Soap Studios in the Summer of 2024
Release: Single ”Avrio Mesimeri”
Written by: Michalis and Panayiota Kontovourkis

Tender words of affection, softly strummed guitars, and sunset-tinged dreams of tomorrow: Cypriot outfit Kontovourkis & Co.’s ‘Avrio Mesimeri’ is a summertime chanson nodding to the technicolor romance of 1970s Mediterranea. Translating to “Tomorrow Noon,” the song features siblings Michalis and Panayiota Kontovourkis sharing vocals over a rocking rumba beat, acoustic guitars and gliding horns.

The song follows two lovers preparing to escape together the following day, pledging to meet at the pier at noon and begin a new life. Beneath their hope lies uncertainty: will both find the courage to take that life-changing step? “It’s a song filled with hope and the possibility of future joy,” explains the band, “but it’s a step that requires great courage and conviction from them both.”

Sung in Greek, ‘Avrio Mesimeri’ follows the English-language debut ‘Long Way to Nirvana’. Both were penned by Anglo-Italian Cypriot Duncan McCowan, reflecting Kontovourkis & Co.’s bilingual identity and the cultural crossroads of their Cypriot homeland. The track sways with nostalgic warmth, its sibling vocals floating over acoustic guitar, resonant trumpet and flickers of electric guitar like sun glitter on the Mediterranean.

Formed in 2016 by Michalis Kontovourkis, a fixture of Larnaca’s music scene, Kontovourkis & Co. developed their sound through live performance, drawing from rock, singer-songwriter and indie traditions.

‘Avrio Mesimeri’ is a sea-sprayed ode to hopes for the future, drifting between the yearning to escape and the solace of the familiar — echoing the bittersweet ebb and flow of the Mediterranean surrounding their island home.

Kontovourkis & Co. – Long Way to Nirvana (Single)

                                 

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.