Entitled Camàre, the new album by Yarákä will be released by the record label Zero Nove Nove. The third work by the band from Taranto is an album that opens up slowly, much like kindling in a fireplace as it turns into steady flames. From the striking of two flint stones a singing that is crackling, shouted, and vigilant emerges and runs through all nine tracks. These songs shift the focus of the trio from Taranto—moving from the wild, external world of nature to the treacherous, intimate internal one located within the human being, the ones who have safely bolted the doors shut around the bond they have with their own home.

The home serves as a refuge - an inner sanctum where the dangers of the outside world can be left outside. Beneath its roof, the roar of thunder is muffled; within its rooms, the sacred time of rest finds its place. Sheltered from unpredictable winds, the threat of shipwreck fades. In the dim light, words and prayers are spoken - utterances that would otherwise be scattered to the winds - as voices drop to a whisper, tense and quivering, much like dancing shadows cast upon walls.

Within the stark confines of this shelter, a nameless tension begins to grow; the suspicion that this familiar, comfortable space might ultimately stifle any possibility of growth - that the very act of seeking protection could become a death sentence. The gaze, therefore, turns back toward the world, standing at the threshold of a new departure, fixing upon a specific image: distant lights flickering on the water. These are the camàre - the lanterns of fishermen. For those daring enough to plunge into the open sea, they mark the spot where a net lies in patient wait for the ancient, violent miracle of the catch. Seen from the deep, they also represent the final image of home: a distant beacon one hopes to, eventually, return to.

The inspiration for the main image of this album comes precisely from this reversal of perspective: the nassa, an ancient fishing tool, a woven trap that bridges the space between the outside and the inside.

Every net is formed by tying knots along intersecting strands, leaving gaps between the mesh. It is in the potbelly shaped part of the trap that this dual gaze lies, a constriction that connects while simultaneously opening up a liminal space, hovering between shelter and cage, serving as a stark reminder of the true nature of any bond.

Sounds and voices overlap and drift apart like objects suspended in water, pulling in opposing directions. In “A ‘MMARE”, rhythmic guitars and slow, airy flutes intertwine along the water’s surface. In “CARMINITANA” a diddley bow hooks a sonic thread rising from the barren earth, stirring up chaos, much like a wind coming out of nowhere that sweeps in to disrupt everything, while the jingles of a tambourine give chase. In “SANTA BARBIRI” a voice grows increasingly sharp, struggling for survival against the backdrop of a saz that echoes the metallic omen of blood. Lastly, voices and drums, initially distant, emerge with striking clarity just as catharsis takes place, poised to shatter a collective hallucination, causing “CUPACUPA” to really open up.

In this hall of mirrors, which oscillates constantly between the inner and the outer, the inherent tension of every bond is laid bare. A net is both knot and gap: it can catch, yet it can also let an opportunity slip away. A home is both a shelter and a trap: it offers the comfort of return, yet it can also anchor one down, hindering the pursuit of freedom. A bond is both rope and hook: it can hold one back from plunging into the depths or it can snag and ensnare.

Just as fishing bobbers and floats signal the presence of a net, the new recording project by Yaràkä, a trio composed of Gianni Sciambarruto, Virginia Pavone, and Simone Carrino, acts as a beacon one catches a glimpse of blinking off in the distance. It reminds us of the struggle that lies hidden beneath the visible surface, that the very act of seeking protection might carry with it the risk that one may not be experiencing life in a truly alive way. Camàre” is produced by Zero Nove Nove with the contribution of NUOVOIMAIE.

Yarákä, short biography

Active since 2015, the Taranto-based trio formed by Gianni Sciambarruto, Virginia Pavone, and Simone Carrino pursues an intense and engaging sonic journey. Yarákä, a name inspired by a Tupi-Guarani word evoking the four natural elements, gives voice to the primordial forces of nature and ancient rituals through music. Their soundscape is a visceral weaving of Southern Italian roots, Mediterranean melodies, and African and Amazonian rhythms, blended into original arrangements capable of whispering, invoking, and igniting.

This is a journey that goes beyond a mere fusion of styles: it is an exploration of origins, in search of the deep connections that unite distant cultures and ancestral traditions. Each track is a ritual, a bridge between the earthly and the sacred realms, where the bond between human beings, nature, and divine forces aims not at remembrance, but at awakening. Whether in the intimacy of a whisper or the overwhelming energy of a crescendo, the sound speaks a direct and universal language: music that is not just performance, but a vivid and transcendent sensory experience. With the release of Curannera (Zero Nove Nove, April 2023), Yarákä rapidly established themselves on the international scene, embarking on a tour of over 120 concerts across more than 20 countries in Europe and Asia. They have performed at prominent festivals and theaters such as WOMEX in Tampere (Finland), ORF Kulturhaus in Wien (Austria), FITS in Sibiu (Romania), PIN Music Conference in Skopje (North Macedonia), Lent Festival in Maribor (Slovenia), Internationale Kulturbörse Freiburg in Freiburg (Germany), Bali Spirit Festival (Indonesia), Flanders Festival in Ghent (Belgium), and Resonator Festival in Odense (Denmark). Their resume also features some of Italy’s most prestigious genre-specific festivals, including H/EARTHbeat Festival in Florence, Adriatico Mediterraneo Festival in Ancona, Ethnos Festival in Naples, Mysterium Festival in Taranto, Pisa Folk Festival, and Suoni Mobili in Monza.

Yarákä have received major national recognition, winning the Premio Alberto Cesa at Folkest, as well as the Best Music Video award for "Chiuviti" at the 21st edition of the Horcynus Festival in Messina.