gledaju nas kao ptice - the first Dekonstrukcija Yugoviolence compilation

Premieres tonight at 19:00 CEST via Bandcamp Listening Party.

Join here → https://xdekonstrukcijayugoviolencex.bandcamp.com/live/vol-1-gledaju-nas-kao-ptice-listening-party

When I published the very first Dekonstrukcija Yugoviolence post in October 2022, I simply wanted to document a small corner of the former Yugoslav emo and screamo underground. I never imagined it would grow into an archive spanning hundreds of bands, interviews, photographs, documentaries and countless conversations with people across the region.

Almost four years later, that archive has taken its next step.

gledaju nas kao ptice is the first compilation released under the Dekonstrukcija Yugoviolence name. It brings together contemporary emo, screamo, post-hardcore and adjacent DIY bands from Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo.

This compilation is more than a collection of songs. It is an attempt to reconnect scenes that have spent decades separated by borders, politics and distance. While every local scene has developed in its own way, they continue to share the same DIY values: cooperation, emotional honesty and the belief that music can exist without waiting for permission.

I'd like to thank every band that trusted this idea and contributed to making it a reality. Without their enthusiasm, this project would have remained just another concept on paper.

I also hope this release encourages people to discover bands beyond their own cities and countries, to support one another, and to keep building new connections throughout the region.

This is only the beginning... 

For everyone who keeps creating despite the odds.

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Kada sam objavio prvi tekst na Dekonstrukcija Yugoviolence u oktobru 2022. godine, jednostavno sam želeo da dokumentujem mali deo emo i screamo underground scene bivše Jugoslavije. Nisam mogao ni da zamislim da će to prerasti u arhivu koja danas obuhvata stotine bendova, intervjua, fotografija, dokumentarnih filmova i bezbroj razgovora sa ljudima širom regiona.

Skoro četiri godine kasnije, ta arhiva napravila je svoj sledeći korak.

gledaju nas kao ptice je prva kompilacija objavljena pod imenom Dekonstrukcija Yugoviolence. Okuplja savremene emo, screamo, post-hardcore i srodne DIY bendove iz Srbije, Hrvatske, Bosne i Hercegovine, Slovenije, Severne Makedonije, Crne Gore i Kosova.

Ova kompilacija je više od zbirke pesama. Ona predstavlja pokušaj ponovnog povezivanja scena koje su decenijama bile razdvojene granicama, politikom i udaljenošću. Iako se svaka lokalna scena razvijala na svoj način, sve ih i dalje povezuju iste DIY vrednosti: saradnja, emocionalna iskrenost i uverenje da muzika može postojati bez čekanja tuđe dozvole.

Želeo bih da se zahvalim svakom bendu koji je poverovao u ovu ideju i pomogao da ona postane stvarnost. Bez njihovog entuzijazma, ovaj projekat bi ostao samo još jedna ideja na papiru.

Nadam se da će ova kompilacija podstaći ljude da otkriju bendove van svojih gradova i država, da podrže jedni druge i nastave da grade nove veze širom regiona.

Ovo je tek početak... 

Za sve koji nastavljaju da stvaraju uprkos svemu.

Digital release begins immediately after the Listening Party.

Limited cassette edition coming soon.

SOCKHOLES

Location: Koper, Slovenia

Year active: 2025

For fans of: Mom Jeans, TWIABP, Snowing, Free Throw, Hot Mulligan, Golemata Voda, Mallard, Ubili su Batlera

Sockholes is a duo from Koper, Slovenia. After releasing a handful of small demos (kaj tiste vrtnice and Nehaj hodit tako pozno domov iz Italije) throughout 2025, they eventually returned with their self-titled EP.

Consisting of four original songs sung in Slovenian alongside a cover of Hot Mulligan's "Jimmy Neutron Had a Dog So Why Can't I Have a Friend?", the EP embraces a stripped-down approach built around emotional guitar work, half-sung, half-screamed vocals, and occasional drum machine accompaniment.

The standout track is "2013 tumbler se mi je zameril zaradi moje pjane", where a sampled crying rant plays over an acoustic backdrop. The contrast between vulnerability and absurdity feels surprisingly natural, capturing the kind of awkward sincerity that has always sat at the heart of midwest emo.

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Sockholes je duo iz Kopra, Slovenija. Nakon nekoliko manjih demo izdanja tokom 2025. godine, vratili su se sa svojim istoimenim EP-jem.

EP sadrži četiri autorske pesme na slovenačkom jeziku, kao i obradu pesme "Jimmy Neutron Had a Dog So Why Can't I Have a Friend?" benda Hot Mulligan. Materijal se oslanja na ogoljen pristup zasnovan na emotivnim gitarskim deonicama, vokalima koji se kreću između pevanja i vrištanja, uz povremenu pratnju ritam mašine.

Posebno se izdvaja pesma „2013 tumbler se mi je zameril zaradi moje pjane“, u kojoj se preko akustične podloge čuje sempl emotivnog plača i žalopojke. Kontrast između ranjivosti i apsurdnosti funkcioniše iznenađujuće prirodno, hvatajući onu nespretnu iskrenost koja je oduvek bila jedan od ključnih elemenata midwest emo zvuka.

IDROWNEDINTITOGRAD

Location: Podgorica, Montenegro

Year active: 2026

For fans of: Breakwater, Danse Macabre, .minmo, June Paik, Piet Onthel

Compared to Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia or North Macedonia, Montenegro’s screamo and DIY scene has remained nearly invisible for years. That’s what makes idrownedintitograd such a surprising and welcome emergence.

Based in Podgorica, idrownedintitograd is a new screamo project whose name references the city’s former Yugoslav-era name, Titograd, used between 1946 and 1992 before reverting after the breakup of Yugoslavia. In January 2026, the band released a two-track untitled demo EP.

The first track opens with dark, flangered guitar arpeggios layered over a sample discussing Yugoslavia before collapsing into distorted strumming, angular blast beats and raw, anguished screams. The second track wastes no time with urgent riffs, chaotic but controlled drumming and emotionally charged vocals push everything forward in barely ninety seconds.

Despite its short runtime, the demo already shows a strong instinct for tension and atmosphere, balancing emotional urgency with the kind of frantic instability that defined older European screamo acts.

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U poređenju sa Srbijom, Hrvatskom, Slovenijom ili Severnom Makedonijom, crnogorska screamo i DIY scena godinama je ostajala gotovo nevidljiva. Upravo zato pojava projekta idrownedintitograd deluje toliko iznenađujuće i osvežavajuće.

Baziran u Podgorici, idrownedintitograd je novi screamo projekat čije ime referiše na nekadašnji jugoslovenski naziv grada  'Titograd' korišćen između 1946. i 1992. godine, pre vraćanja starog imena nakon raspada Jugoslavije. U januaru 2026. bend objavljuje demo EP sa dve neimenovane pesme.

Prva pesma otvara se mračnim, flangerom obojenim gitarskim arpeđima preko sempla o Jugoslaviji, pre nego što se uruši u distorzirano rifovanje, uglaste blast beatove i sirove, bolne krikove. Druga pesma ne gubi vreme sa hitnim rifovima, haotično ali kontrolisano bubnjanje i emotivno nabijeni vokali guraju sve napred kroz jedva minut i po trajanja.

Iako veoma kratko, izdanje već pokazuje snažan osećaj za tenziju i atmosferu, balansirajući emotivnu urgentnost sa frenetičnom nestabilnošću karakterističnom za stariji evropski screamo.

YOUTUBE

MALLARD

Location: Skopje, North Macedonia

Year active: 2023 - Active

Related bands: Гола Планина Collective

FFO: I Love Your Lifestyle, Големата вода, The Promise Ring, Everyone Asked About You, Now Now, Casper Elgin, Ubili su Batlera

(Not to confuse with another Mallard from Philadelphia)

Mallard are part of a new wave of bands actively shaping the underground in Skopje, North Macedonia. Emerging from the Гола Планина Collective, their work ties directly into a broader effort to build a functioning DIY scene through shows, events, and local collaboration.

Active since 2023, the quartet has so far released a two-track single followed by the promo EP Ferid Bajram VS Vasko Karangeleski in 2026, supported by the independent label Mrtov Konj.

Musically, Mallard lean into a bright but fragile strain of midwest emo - melodic, slightly melancholic, but never static. Tracks like “Ferid Bajram VS Vasko Karangeleski” highlight the band’s dynamic range, with falsetto-driven vocals pushing a sense of vulnerability to the front, while “Повторно (повторно)” shifts into something more unstable, introducing harsh vocals and tightly wound, spiraling guitar work.

Rather than staying locked into one emotional register, Mallard move between restraint and release, giving their songs a sense of motion rather than nostalgia. Their material circles around young adulthood, but not in a purely reflective way - it feels immediate, shaped by lived experience rather than distance.

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Mallard su deo nove generacije bendova koji aktivno oblikuju underground scenu u Skoplju, Severna Makedonija. Potekli iz kolektiva Гола Планина, njihov rad je direktno vezan za širi napor izgradnje funkcionalne DIY scene kroz koncerte, događaje i lokalnu saradnju.

Aktivni od 2023. godine, kvartet je do sada objavio singl sa dve pesme, a zatim i promo EP Ferid Bajram VS Vasko Karangeleski 2026. godine, uz podršku nezavisnog lejbla Mrtov Konj.

Muzički, Mallard naginju ka svetlijem, ali krhkom obliku midwest ema - melodičnom, blago melanholičnom, ali nikada statičnom. Pesme poput „Ferid Bajram VS Vasko Karangeleski“ ističu dinamički raspon benda, gde falset vokali iznose ranjivost u prvi plan, dok „Повторно (повторно)“ uvodi nestabilniju energiju kroz oštrije vokale i zategnute, spiralne gitare.

Umesto da ostanu u jednom emotivnom registru, Mallard se kreću između suzdržanosti i eksplozije, dajući pesmama osećaj kretanja umesto nostalgije. Njihov materijal se bavi temama mladog odraslog doba, ali ne iz distance - već neposredno, oblikovano ličnim iskustvom.

ГОЛЕМАТА ВОДА

Location: Skopje, North Macedonia

Year active: 2025 - Active

Related bands: Бик, Персеида

FFO: Sore Eyelids, heart-on-sleeve, Title Fight (Hyperview), Ridgeway, Gleemer

Golemata Voda (The Great Water, named after the 2004 film) is a midwest emo band formed in Skopje in 2024, featuring members of Бик and Персеида. They released their first single “Има или нема” in October 2025, followed by their self-titled debut full-length in February 2026.

Sung primarily in Macedonian, their sound blends cohesive midwest emo structures with a warm, melodic sensibility, tinged with dream pop melancholy and light, jangly post-hardcore textures. Somber vocals shift between restrained singing and tearful outbursts, giving the record a fragile but persistent emotional weight.

Across its ten tracks, Golemata Voda explores instability - of identity, memory, and emotional endurance. Rather than indulging in nostalgia, the album treats it as something distant and distorted, where the past feels unreachable rather than comforting.

Tracks like “Сила од Небес,” “Мртов,” and “Бунар” lean into themes of exhaustion and internal collapse, capturing a sense of being trapped within repetitive mental states. In contrast, songs such as “Стој Подалеку” and “Ко(Мета)” highlight a tension between withdrawal and dependence, suggesting an inability to fully exist either alone or in connection with others.

By the closing stretch, particularly on “Маѓепсан” and “Билка,” the tone subtly shifts. Not toward resolution, but toward a fragile sense of renewal... less a recovery than a quiet reintroduction to feeling after prolonged emotional numbness.

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Golemata Voda (The Great Water, naziv preuzet iz filma iz 2004. godine) je midwest emo bend formiran u Skoplju 2024. godine, koji okuplja članove bendova Бик i Персеида. Prvi singl „Има или нема“ objavili su u oktobru 2025, nakon čega je usledio njihov istoimeni debitantski album u februaru 2026.

Peva se pretežno na makedonskom, a njihov zvuk spaja kohezivne midwest emo strukture sa toplim, melodičnim senzibilitetom, uz primesu dream pop melanholije i laganih, jangly post-hardcore tekstura. Vokali prelaze iz suzdržanog pevanja u emotivne ispade, dajući albumu krhku, ali postojanu emotivnu težinu.

Kroz deset pesama, Golemata Voda istražuje nestabilnost - identiteta, sećanja i emotivne izdržljivosti. Umesto da se oslanja na nostalgiju, album je tretira kao nešto udaljeno i izobličeno, gde prošlost deluje nedostižno, a ne utešno.

Pesme poput „Сила од Небес“, „Мртов“ i „Бунар“ naginju temama iscrpljenosti i unutrašnjeg raspada, hvatajući osećaj zarobljenosti u ponavljajućim mentalnim stanjima. Nasuprot tome, „Стој Подалеку“ i „Ко(Мета)“ ističu tenziju između povlačenja i zavisnosti, sugerišući nemogućnost da se u potpunosti postoji ni sam, ni u odnosu sa drugima.

U završnici albuma, naročito kroz „Маѓепсан“ i „Билка“, ton se suptilno menja. Ne ka razrešenju, već ka krhkom osećaju obnove... manje kao oporavak, a više kao tiho ponovno upoznavanje sa osećanjem nakon dugotrajnog emotivnog otupljenja.

STRANDED IN DOG CITY

​Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia

Year active: 2023 / 2024–present

Related bands: Dio Perkins, Poguba, Requeson

FFO: Zbrucz, Mališa Bahat, Shizune

photo: @jakofvir

Stranded in Dog City is a Slovenian screamo quartet that emerged from the remains of a hardcore band Dio Perkins. While the lineup stayed the same, the shift in sound came gradually, becoming fully realized with the release of their first demo tape - three tracks marking a clear transition toward a more emotionally driven approach.

Initially rooted in straightforward hardcore, the band began reshaping their identity as they grew more connected to the expressive and cathartic elements of screamo. This shift was heavily influenced by the rising presence of bands like Zbrucz within the regional scene, whose impact helped open space for a new wave of screamo acts in an environment previously dominated by hardcore, grind, and crust.

A defining moment came after attending a show in Plac (Ljubljana), featuring Zbrucz, Mališa Bahat, and Shizune - followed by their visit to Third Impact Fest in Modena. These experiences solidified their direction, pushing them further toward a more emotionally charged and dynamic sound.

While still active through their original project Dio Perkins, Stranded in Dog City serves as a more personal and expressive outlet, leaning into the intensity, vulnerability, and sonic range of modern European screamo.

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Stranded in Dog City je slovenački screamo kvartet koji je nastao iz ostataka hardcore benda Dio Perkins. Iako je postava ostala ista, promena zvuka se odvijala postepeno, da bi bila u potpunosti zaokružena izdavanjem njihovog prvog demo izdanja — tri pesme koje jasno označavaju prelazak ka emotivnijem izrazu.

U početku ukorenjeni u klasičnom hardcore zvuku, bend je vremenom počeo da preoblikuje svoj identitet, sve više se povezujući sa ekspresivnim i katarzičnim elementima screama. Na ovu transformaciju značajno je uticao i rastući uticaj bendova poput Zbrucz na regionalnoj sceni, koji su otvorili prostor za novu generaciju screamo izvođača u okruženju koje je ranije bilo dominantno hardcore, grind i crust orijentisano.

Ključni trenutak dogodio se nakon koncerta u Plac-u (Ljubljana), gde su nastupali Zbrucz, Mališa Bahat i Shizune, kao i nakon njihovog odlaska na Third Impact Fest u Modeni. Ta iskustva su učvrstila njihov pravac i dodatno ih usmerila ka emotivno nabijenijem i dinamičnijem zvuku.

Iako su i dalje aktivni kroz svoj prvobitni bend Dio Perkins, Stranded in Dog City funkcioniše kao ličniji i izražajniji projekat, naglašavajući intenzitet, ranjivost i zvučni raspon savremenog evropskog screama.

PHOTO: aleksander.s.art

WITH ENGINE HEART

Location: Celje, Slovenia

Year active: 2007

Members: Denis, Jure, Neven, Rok, Damir

Related bands: ????

FFO: Breakwater, Cartha Matha, Funeral Diner, Kaospilot, Sed Non Satiata, Yage

With Engine Heart were a short-lived quintet from Celje, Slovenia, formed sometime between late 2006 and 2007. Their existence was brief but focused. They recorded a demo and a single EP titled This City Is Dead and These Words Are the Nail in the Coffin. During their short run, they toured with bands such as Elodea and Judith Krishun.

The aforementioned EP consists of two studio tracks alongside several live clips from their tour with Elodea, possibly featuring unreleased material available only through those recordings.

Musically, WEH operated within a post-rock–infused screamo framework, drawing clear parallels to bands like Funeral Diner, Kaospilot, and Yage. Their sound was passionate, raw, and somber - emotionally charged instrumentation paired with anguished, desperate vocals. Lyrically, they leaned toward social critique and anti-capitalist themes. The compositions allowed space to breathe, building atmosphere before collapsing into intensity.

Below are the band’s own interpretations of two songs:

Losing Sleep - 'This song talks about fighting boredom and monotony of everyday life. It seems like the environment we live in is designed to keep us occupied with things we don’t want to do, just to provide for our basic needs, leaving very little time and energy, to see the world around us for what it is and for the activities we long for. A perfect scheme to create a society for careless consumers.'

Michele Bernstein - 'In cities, everyone gets lost in the crowd. The transport tends to take one person’s individual interest and levels it down to a predetermined path. Marketing has been taking over every possible square centimeter of the surfaces, so we’re left in a jungle of over-saturated colors, mind-numbing one-liners.

Everything’s pretty much focused on turning a real person into a mindless being. The city center lies under a false pretense of happening, with pop culture events masking the city’s dead gray nature. It soon becomes nothing but a parade of spectacles. Keeping the mass alienated under an area of socialization. This is simply a wake-up call.'

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With Engine Heart bio je kratkotrajni kvintet iz Celja, Slovenija, formiran negde između kraja 2006. i 2007. godine. Njihovo postojanje bilo je kratko, ali fokusirano. Snimili su demo i jedan EP pod nazivom This City Is Dead and These Words Are the Nail in the Coffin. Tokom tog perioda išli su na turneju sa bendovima poput Elodea i Judith Krishun.

Pomenuti EP sadrži dve studijske pesme uz nekoliko live snimaka sa turneje sa Elodeom, moguće uključujući i neobjavljen materijal dostupan isključivo kroz te snimke.

Muzički, WEH su se kretali u okviru screamo izraza sa snažnim post-rock uticajem, sa jasnim paralelama sa bendovima poput Funeral Diner, Kaospilot i Yage. Njihov zvuk bio je strastven, sirov i sumoran - emotivno nabijena instrumentacija uparena sa bolnim, očajničkim vokalima. Lirski su naginjali društvenoj kritici i antikapitalističkim temama. Kompozicije su ostavljale prostor za disanje, gradeći atmosferu pre nego što bi se urušile u intenzitet.

Tumačenja benda za dve pesme:

Losing Sleep –

„Ova pesma govori o borbi protiv dosade i monotonije svakodnevnog života. Čini se da je okruženje u kom živimo osmišljeno tako da nas drži zauzetima stvarima koje ne želimo da radimo, samo kako bismo obezbedili osnovne potrebe, ostavljajući vrlo malo vremena i energije da svet oko sebe sagledamo onakvim kakav jeste i da se posvetimo aktivnostima za kojima čeznemo. Savršena šema za stvaranje društva bezbrižnih potrošača.“

Michele Bernstein –

„U gradovima se svako izgubi u masi. Sistem nas usmerava tako da pojedinačni interes svodi na unapred određenu putanju. Marketing je preuzeo svaki mogući kvadratni centimetar površine, pa smo ostavljeni u džungli prezasićenih boja i zaglupljujućih slogana.

Sve je usmereno ka tome da se stvarna osoba pretvori u bezumnog pojedinca. Centar grada opstaje pod lažnim prividom dešavanja, gde pop-kulturni događaji maskiraju sivu, mrtvu prirodu grada. Ubrzo sve postaje samo parada spektakla, održavajući masu otuđenom pod prividom socijalizacije. Ovo je jednostavno poziv na buđenje.“

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E67cnLJ0El0&t=8s