Amistat inhale inspiration from life experience and exhale deftly crafted alternative folk anchored by the gentle brotherly back-and-forth of twins Josef and Jan Prasil. Together, they explore what it means to be human over breezy soundscapes laced with threads of soft acoustic guitar, organic piano, and intimate harmonies. Amistat makes the kind of music that reminds you it’s fine to feel whatever you need to hope once again. The duo sing candidly about all of our ups, downs, insecurities, anxieties, hopes, dreams, and everything in between. In doing so, they allow an unfiltered perspective into their respective personalities and their identity as a collective. Against light soundscapes, the emotion breathes the loudest. These feelings unfurl without a filter on their 2024 EP, ‘a moment in the sun’.
The project sees the duo stripping things back to the basics, as they touch on day-to-day problems, with the brothers not shying away from addressing some of the hardest moments in their lives. Jan shares, “The new EP is about the struggles with personal life, private life, and mental health that my brother and I have been going through over the last two years.” Jan continues, “We’re showing everyone it’s totally normal to struggle, but there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. On social media, you only paint an amazing picture of the great times. However, life isn’t always that way. We’re acknowledging every aspect of existence—and still enjoying it.”
“This is a reminder it’s okay to go through whatever you go through,” they both agree. “We all have experiences that shape who we are. We all have our baggage. It’s important to understand what’s going on emotionally inside, be connected to yourself, talk about it, and not pretend everything is just great. Be vulnerable, show your emotions, and share them with your close friends. The moment you open up is real healing. It’s okay to be a mess. Not everything is always rainbows and sunshine. The EP acknowledges the bad times but reminds there are good times ahead. We’re all in the same boat.”
Picking up the pace and leaping into new territory, the standout “Still Believe” sees the duo graft a chantable mantra to an upbeat groove fueled by loose guitar and soaring delivery. It culminates on an uplifting promise, “When I am on my knees, my heart will not be weak, though fear now covers me, I still believe.”
“We were definitely experimenting with our sound,” Jan reveals. “In any partnership or relationship, you have to be the one who’s strong and holds it all together sometimes. There were times when my brother and I were struggling, so we’d look to others for support. It’s about admitting you need family, friends, or partners. You say, ‘I’m here for you if you need me, and I hope you are too when I need you.”
Born in Germany, with a background encompassing the Czech Republic and Australia, Amistat emerged in 2014. The duo’s 2023 colour in life EP gained significant traction amassing north of 5.3 million Spotify streams and counting. At the same time, the musicians have canvassed multiple continents on tour and shined on festival stages, including Sziget, National Folk Festival, Szene Open Air, Gampel Open Air and Superbloom. In 2023, Josef and Jan recorded what would become a moment in the sun in Cologne, Germany, where in the studio, they made a conscious decision to expand their sound. The result is certain to turn heads, with a moment in the sun.
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Source/Image Amistat Glynn Parkinson provided by LPR
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