Recorded and mixed by Andreas Matheou – at Hot Soap Studios in Summer of 2024.
Release: Single ”Avril Mesimeri”
Written by: Michalis and Panayiota Kontovourkis
Tender words of affection, softly strummed guitar strings, and sunset-tinged dreams of
tomorrow: Cypriot outfit Kontovourkis & Co.’s new number, ‘Avrio Mesimeri’ is a summertime
chanson that nods to technicolor romance serenades of 1970s Mediterranea. Translated to
“Tomorrow Noon,” the love song follows on from the septet’s country-teased debut single ‘Long
Way to Nirvana’, and features brother-sister duo Michalis and Panayiota Kontovourkis sharing
main vocals atop of a rocking rumba beat and gliding horns.
The song tells the tale of two lovers awaiting their escape the following day to embark on a
journey dedicating their lives to one another. They pledge to meet at the pier at noon, yet both
temper their hopes, wary of what may arise should either be overcome with a change of heart.
“Its a song filled with hope and the possibility of future joy. One simple step, physical and
metaphorical, will set them on a united life-changing adventure; but its a step that requires great
courage and conviction from them both,” explains the band.
With ‘Avrio Mesimeri’ sung in Greek and following ‘Long Way to Nirvana’’s anglophone release –
both penned by Anglo-Italian Cypriot Duncan McCowan – Kontovourkis & Co. lay bare their
bilingual makeup, offering a vista into the liminal soundworlds of their homeland in Cyprus, the
sonic landscape of which has taken shape by the slew of empires reigning over the island
across the millennia and its fast-forwarding into a globalised today. In ‘Long Way to Nirvana’,
Kontovourkis & Co.’s endearingly jovial energy makes it hard not to stomp your feet in time with
the freewheeling skiffle tune. In ‘Avrio Mesimeri’, the swaying rhythm of the track and unrefined
warmth of the siblings’ vocals lull the lyrics’ bittersweet qualms with a nostalgic glow, gliding
above the track’s background of acoustic guitar strums that intertwine with the trumpet’s
resonances and rays of electric guitar that twinkle like sun glitter.
Formed in 2016 by Michalis Kontovourkis, a key figure in Larnaca’s music hub on the southeast
coast of Cyprus, Kontovourkis & Co. honed their sound through their live gigs, drawing
inspiration from foundational artists across the rock, singer-songwriter, and indie genres
spectrum. After turning heads on the island with his solo 2018 singer-songwriter album “Ap tin
Arxi”, Michalis spearheaded Kontovourkis & Co.’s formation as its band members offered more
creative direction to the songs. Marking the band’s debut is a string of three singles written by
McCowan, who himself brings along his musical past from London’s roots busking scene of the
1980s.
‘Avrio Mesimeri’ is a sea-sprayed ode to hopes and dreams for the future, drifting between the
band’s own yearning of escape from a secluded island and settling into the solace of the
familiar, much like the bittersweet ebb and flow of the Mediterranean waters that surround them.