Tipsy Oxcart – “Homecoming” (audio) (Premiere)

In their press bio, the Brooklyn-based, Balkan-obsessed band Tipsy Oxcart are described as “channeling the spirit of 36 hour weddings to keep the crowds dancing until the sun comes up” with their music. The sounds of Eastern Europe are indeed alive and well with this vivacious young outfit. Their release of their latest outing, Upside Down, is imminent. To ready yourself for the bevy of sonic adventurism to be found on the record, you can stream the track “Homecoming” below. Like Tipsy Oxcart themselves, who take their name from an old Bulgarian folk tale, there’s a rich story behind the tune.

Jeremy Bloom, Tipsy Oxcart’s accordion player, tells PopMatters, “One of the few non-originals on the album, our accordionist first heard a version of this song in the back of a Turkish pickup truck. Our rhythm section recognized it as the theme to ’90s Israeli sitcom. It turns out it has been recorded in a ton of styles and languages since the ’80s, when it was written by Armenian oud virtuoso Ara Dinkjian. We love how this melody transcends national borders, and decided to take a stab at it ourselves!”

Upside Down is out on 12 May.