This Latvian band first hit it big when the represented Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. They sang “Cake To Bake”, which unfortunately came 13th in the first Semi-Final, and therefore did not make the Grand Final. Regardless, the band gained a large following, and now, three years later, they’ve finally released their debut album.
It has certainly been a long wait, and with some line-up changes too; but, Aarzemnieki proves that persistence and hard work really does pay off in the end. “Cake To Bake” is the only English-language song on the album “Visi kopa” – which means “Together” in English; the other 17 tracks are in Latvian, two of which are live performances.
Keeping to their original sound, to which they brought to the Eurovision stage; Aarzemnieki impresses with this debut album. “Visi kopa” is rhythmically catchy with various songs standing out. Each one is different in itself whilst keeping their own sound.
The track “Cauri Grobinai” has a verse in English, turning the song into a Latvilish song (we know that’s not a word, but we’re rolling with it – if we can have Spanglish songs, then we can have Latvilish songs too); it’s not the only one we come across on this album, there’s also “Mes esam arzemnieki”. We also really like the second track “Viktorija” which is definitely catchy.
This really showcases Aarzemnieki off perfectly, and we sure do hope that they release more music in the future. This popular folk sound is certainly something that is missing in the world right now, and Aarzemnieki have the opportunity to spread it all around the world with their popularity and their determination.
Three years was a long time for us all to wait for a debut album but we have to admit, it was totally worth the wait. “Visi kopa” is a total must-listen album and one that certainly impresses.