Contemporary folk and fusion act Skald is hours away from releasing its highly-anticipated debut album, Kura, featuring a collection of unique sound and instruments characteristic of the Maltese way of life.

“The aim of this album is to promote Maltese folk music, għana, in a contemporary way whilst mixing it with our own original material,” the band’s percussionist, Bertu Aquilina, told Lovin Malta. 

“We tackle a lot of different subjects and themes in the album, from nature, solitude, love and fantasy.”

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Kura features eight distinct songs weaved together by powerful lyrics and an eclectic range of musical instruments played by the band’s five members.

While flitting between serious and comical tones across each track, Kura is a refreshing mix of both modern and upbeat music whilst simultaneously maintaining a traditional element with the entire album being sung in Maltese.

“When we sing in our native tongue, we feel like it’s our best way of conveying our feelings to the general public,” Bertu continued.

Kura will be officially launched tonight at the Pjazza Teatru Rjal as Skald gears up for its first performance in almost two years at the Hybrid Festival.

“We are very excited to have a live audience,” Bertu continued. “It’s going to be with a minimal audience and with social distancing in place.”

While a live audience is a step towards achieving normality, the experience of a live concert isn’t complete without fan interaction and with the chance to buy the album you witnessed being performed live.

“We gave some extra love to the hard copy,” Bertu said about the album. “We made a cutout with sandpaper because it’s the cure (kura) to remove splinters (skald) from a piece of wood.”

More impressive than the album cover itself is the 40-minute journey the eight tracks take you on, weaving through different themes that evoke certain emotions created by the band’s distinctive repertoire. 

Skald will be playing tonight at the Hybrid Festival. You can purchase tickets here or purchase the band’s latest album here.

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