Dance, celebrate and forget that you’re precariously balanced on the edge of the abyss. That’s the impression I get when I hear the music of Montreal group Dumai Dunai, a blend of diverse origins but with a strong Ukrainian color thanks to the magnetic presence of singer Natalia Telentso. The young blonde sails between disparate poles such as the traditional song of her native country, classical lyricism and indie chanson. All this on a shifting, never-steady carpet of styles as eclectic as festive Balkan music, punk, ska, dub, rock, jazz… Sometime Between Now and Never is the band’s first opus, and a testament to the kind of unleashing that can be witnessed at their shows. Dumai Dunai, formed in 2021 (first show in 2022), is still very young, but already benefits from an assiduous following as far afield as Eastern Europe. This region of the world is no stranger to tragedy, war and the hard knocks of history. And yet, there’s always this desire to celebrate, to dance, even on the brink of the abyss. Dumai Dunai is a totally contemporary brand of resilience that any human being in the world can understand and feel. That’s why it works so well, here and elsewhere. And we can be proud of it: it’s also a bit of the Montreal brand that’s magnified here, an all-encompassing ecumenism that’s profoundly free and intercultural.
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW WITH ELI CAMILO FROM DUMAI DUNAI ABOUT THIS ALBUM – IN FRENCH – IN ENGLISH
Don’t miss the big launch party (with food and booze) for Sometime Between Now and Never on Friday, June 14 at the Ukrainian Federation of Montreal. Also on stage: Dusty Brass, Sumak Brass Band, and DJ Risa. Also in Toronto on June 16 at Drom Taberna.
