Latvian folk rock band Alum Alu record “Ederlezi” twice on one release. The traditional Roma spring song appears first as a slow ballad, then reworked into Latvian as “Neizturami”, a faster folk-rock track about heartbreak. Released on 13 February by Hodila Records, the double single arrives almost three years after their debut album and marks their return from a quieter year of writing and studio work.

The five core members, Aleksis Uss on acoustic guitar, Saimons Džeimss Čisums on mandolin, Eli Ellere on vocals, Jānis Zemgus Jatnieks on bayan accordion and Egija Laura Preise on violin and backing vocals, recorded “Ederlezi” live in one room at Hodila Records in Valmiera, their first time working that way. A slow, steady drone from the bayan sits under guitar, mandolin and violin, with Ellere’s lead vocal over the top. They also take the lead on “Neizturami”, a change from the debut album where Uss sang most leads. “Neizturami” uses the same melody but adds drums from Kaupo Ouzurakis and bass from the late Aleksejs “Buidui” Povhs, with new Latvian lyrics by Uss: a heart that hurts “neizturami” (unbearably).

“Ederlezi” is a Serbian-Roma folk song that has been recorded many times. Goran Bregović reworked it into “Đurđevdan” with Bijelo Dugme. Alum Alu follow a similar path with “Neizturami”, turning the melody into a Latvian song of loss.

The video, directed by Madars Polinš and filmed around Sabile Wine Hill and the Abava river, was inspired by a scene in Tony Gatlif‘s 1993 film Latcho Drom, where a Roma singer stands on a hill above a sleeping city. Ellere links that image to the band’s own experience of playing through the night after the Sabile Wine Festival and singing at sunrise. The clip is dedicated to Povhs, who loved performing “Ederlezi”. Čisums describes the pair as “moodier and more mature” than their earlier work.

The band tour Latvia and Estonia in April and May.

Listen to the single and get your copy HERE