Explore: Carnival Youth + Lac Observation

In cooperation with the showcase festival Sharpe, Nová Cvernovka presents the Explore format, which regularly presents young interesting musical groups on the European scene. As part of the twelfth edition of this series, Carnival Youth will perform.

Carnival Youth is a Latvian indie band best described as a mix of lazy Sunday afternoons and curious adventures in the furthest synth parties of the galaxy. Their lyrical songs and indie hits reflect a view of the world rooted in raw realism but ultimately radiates hope – an element encapsulated in empathy and optimism.

Since their debut album No Clouds Allowed (2014), Carnival Youth have garnered widespread acclaim for their compelling compositions and magnetic live shows. With five well-received albums under their belt, the band has solidified their position as one of Latvia’s most celebrated musical exports. In the past two years, they toured their homeland playing over 100 shows in every corner of Latvia with their Naivais ku-kū programme which consists of songs from classic Latvian films in new and fresh indie arrangements. Additionally, the Naivais ku-kū physical album was the best-selling album in Latvia in 2021 and 2022.

They have performed at prestigious festivals and venues across Europe and beyond, including SXSW, Sziget, Open’er, NME Club Night and many others. The band has toured Europe multiple times and played their first four shows in France in 2022, including their first one in Paris in Le Supersonic. Carnival Youth have received multiple awards for their music in Latvia, including the Album of the Year award in 2016 for Propeller, as well as The European Border Breakers award at Eurosonic 2016.

Lac Observation:

“Lac Observation is a lake on an island in a lake in Québec. From the water, blobs of songs appear and float above the surface, recounting what the water holds as memories, collected in its meanderings through the Earth. We are the translators, also called Lac Observation, and we’ve come a long way.”