Stories from the Apple Garden

Stories from the Apple Garden traces a woman’s journey through memory, vulnerability and renewal. Butcher's Lover moves from dense, unsettled textures toward quieter spaces, blending intimate songwriting with hurdy-gurdy, double bass, percussion, field recordings and ambient electronics. Rather than documenting trauma, it captures the slow process of returning to creativity, trust and a renewed sense of self. The apple runs through the entire album as a central symbol of womanhood, while its release on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women adds another layer to the record. Stories from the Apple Garden is a chamber-folk ensemble led by Ilka Kisgyörgy, marking her first appearance as a songwriter after years of working primarily as a vocalist in traditional and experimental music, blending modal folk and early-music influences with contemporary minimalism, ambient drones and electronic textures, built around voice and electro-acoustic guitar. On the record she’s accompanied by well known artists: András Németh on hurdy-gurdy and analogue synthesizers, Ábel Dénes (Nagy Emma Quintet) on double-bass, and András Halmos (Jü, Decolonize Your Mind Society) as percussionist. The album is produced by András Weil (The Qualitons).