kannatused ehk külakiigel pole stopperit

Two Estonian guys, circling their 50s, wearing black suits and performing wild live shows all around Europe with singing, rapping, dancing on stage and sometimes even crowd-surfing. All of that while playing the forgotten lyre of a shared Swedish-Estonian heritage – hiiu kannel or talharpa – amplified in a modern way. That’s how I would explain the phenomenon of Puuluup. For this record, they paired with 5MIINUST, an Estonian male rap collective. The powerplay track of the album, ‘(nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi’ made it to the finals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, bringing the hiiu kannel hype to Estonian kids and youth. The record is punchy, with hip-hop, disco, blues and drum’n’bass in a reverby sauce of Puuluup’s lyres. And well-delivered lyrics, referring to the social issues of rural Estonia. Beside the Eurovision song, some of the highlights include ‘külakiigel pole stopperit’, a real dancy mayhem, and ‘isegi kakelda pole kellegagi’, with lovely bowed passages.