The Baltic States, comprising of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, are not a geographical location immediately equated with groundbreaking new music. That could be set to change, however, if bands like Estonian hopefuls Odd Hugo continue to emerge from behind the former iron curtain.
Formed in the summer of 2012, the five piece are already internationally acknowledged for their part mellow-folk, part heart-rending, poetic soundscapes. With shades of Jack White and Beirut already grabbing the attention of UK music blogs including The Line Of Best Fit, last year the band performed on 14 stages across the Baltic States, Hungary, Finland and Germany with appearances at festivals including Fusion in Germany, Positivus in Latvia and Art Goes Kapakka in Finland.
With the recent rise of international music showcases across Europe including Lost In Music in Finland and Tallinn Music Week in their native Estonia, there are more opportunities than ever for aspiring and accessible bands from these small, fringe music communities to be noticed on the global market.
As the mainstream market in the UK and US becomes more saturated and populations become increasingly multinational and multicultural on a global scale, it seems only logical for the industry to be looking further afield for more interesting and unique acts to bring to the UK and access untapped demographics hungry for touring artists and recorded music that carries either a taste of the exotic or a reminder of home.
Watch the beautiful video for ‘3 Bullets’ here: