The creative process of the new conceptual group album is multifaceted and marked by unexpected collaborations with well-known names in the Lithuanian music scene.
“I am very happy to be able to give this album to the listeners. We matured and preserved it for two years. The time has come to release these works, which I am incredibly proud of. I sincerely enjoyed writing them,” says the group’s leader Kristijonas Valančius, presenting the new creative stage.
“This time, I wanted a conceptual approach to create the album – I delved into the social roles performed by myself and those around me, both publicly and behind closed doors. It was good to write not only from a personal perspective but to examine the created characters, their stories, and narratives,” continues Kristijonas.
As stated in the press release, the latest “Akli” release, featuring various genres – from post-punk and heavy rock inspired by Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath to acoustic ballads – consists of ten songs.
The group’s fans had the opportunity to hear the new “Akli” creations through previously released singles “Per Saldu,” “Morfinas,” and “Kopijos kopija,” the latter two being collaborations with the vocalist of the group “Mėlyna,” Beata Beatriče Šiuikaitė, and the leader of the group “ba.,” Benas Aleksandravičius.
“Allowing other performers into the creative process was a very beautiful and perspective-enriching experience. Joint works with Beata and Benas and the time spent with them searching for new ways to express musical ideas are some of the brightest memories from the album writing period,” adds Kristijonas.
“While working on this album, we wanted to prioritize not only the music but also its visual expression. This is how our collaboration with director Vytautas Adomaitis and the ‘Baltas Production’ team, who created videos for the singles accompanying the album, was born,” recalls the group’s bassist Benas Kalinauskas.
The photo and concept of the “TEATRAS” album cover were created by Pijus Vėberis, and the short video clips announcing the album were directed by Benas Ąžuolas Šarka. The design of the album’s vinyl record was created by group member Benas Kalinauskas.
“In this album, we expanded the boundaries of our sound – it combines very different layers of influences and contrasts. We maintained the recognizable identity of the group but also ventured into musical territories not tried before, so this work will be equally interesting to longtime listeners and those who discover our work only now,” adds Benas.
“It was very interesting to contribute to ‘Teatras.’ The songs have a lot of dynamics and unexpected turns, so recording the drums was fun to find the right drum or cymbal sound, experiment more with different percussion instruments and drum transitions. In my opinion, the album brings an energy not felt in previous ‘Akli’ works – the arrangements are very fresh and bold. It’s fun to be part of this process and contribute to how these songs ultimately sound,” shares the group’s drummer Jokūbas Andriulis.
The group’s fans will have the opportunity to be the first to hear new “Akli” songs live at concerts in Vilnius – “Lukiškių kalėjime 2.0” on September 3, in Kaunas – “Dainoje” on September 18, and in Klaipėda – “Hofe” on September 25.
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