US rock band chooses Maltese designer’s ‘awesome artwork’ for new album cover

The multi-platinum American rock band Counting Crows has chosen the work of Maltese designer Ivan Sciberras for the cover of their new album Underwater Sunshine (or What We Did On Our Summer Vacation), which is scheduled for release on Tuesday.

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The lead vocalist told Sciberras he loved the cover

The band commissioned fans to create the album artwork. Sciberras beat stiff competition with 1,400 submissions by designers from all over the world.

Counting Crows praised Sciberras’ “great work” and “awesome artwork”, compliments that were backed by the band’s fans on Facebook.

Adam Duritz, the lead vocalist, wrote to Sciberras congratulating him for his work and saying he “loved the cover”.

Sciberras, 39, said he was proud of this achievement: “I really wanted to create something different and unconventional for this album cover. I am, of course, very pleased that my design was selected. It is incredibly satisfying to see my work travel the world and be associated with such a prestigious name.”

Sciberras is a Maltese designer whose work has featured in advertising campaigns of major local and international companies since his return from France.

The album cover he designed for Counting Crows already features prominently on the band’s website announcing the dates for the tour starting in April. Formed in 1991, Counting Crows gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single Mr Jones. They have sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and received a 2004 Academy Award nomination for their song Accidentally in Love, which was included in the film Shrek 2.

Underwater Sunshine is a collection of songs interpreted by one of the most soulful and recognisable bands of the past two decades.

This is Counting Crows’ first full-length album release in four years following their 2008 album Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings.

The new CD features tracks written by artists such as Big Star, Gram Parsons, Tender Mercies, Kasey Anderson and The Faces.

www.ivansciberras.com

www.countingcrows.com