WISH YOU THE BEST

Location: Serbia

Year active: 2025

Members: ?

Related bands: ?

FFO: Danse Macabre, Disposing of False Halos, Eva Ras, In Loving Memory, IWroteHaikus..., The Truth About Dreaming

I came across this project through an email from someone claiming to be based in Serbia. Digging deeper didn’t reveal much - there’s virtually no background information on the Bandcamp page, no lineup, no context. In situations like this, the choice is either to ignore it entirely or take the release at face value and let the music speak for itself. I went with the latter.

The EP What We Do Is Sacred, released last August, feels very much like a solo project -bedroom production, synthetic drums, and a distinctly DIY approach throughout. That’s hardly a drawback in this scene, where plenty of one-person projects operate on raw urgency rather than polish.

Across nine tracks and just under ten minutes, the EP delivers brief but intense bursts of chaotic lo-fi emoviolence. Tight, frantic drumming drives the songs forward, guitars jerk and collapse in sharp fragments, and the vocals are raw and unfiltered. The production can feel a bit abrasive and “icky” at times, but the emotional charge carries it through and ultimately gets the job done.

This is a short, violent listen that doesn’t overstay its welcome. Recommended for hardcore screamo listeners who are always on the lookout for compact releases built on urgency, tension, and emotional overload rather than refinement.

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Na ovaj projekat sam naišao preko mejla osobe koja tvrdi da je iz Srbije. Dubljim kopanjem nisam došao do skoro ničega - na Bandcamp stranici praktično nema pozadinskih informacija, nema postave, nema konteksta. U ovakvim situacijama izbor je ili potpuno ignorisati izdanje ili ga prihvatiti takvim kakvo jeste i pustiti da muzika govori sama za sebe. Odlučio sam se za ovo drugo.

EP What We Do Is Sacred, objavljen prošlog avgusta, vrlo jasno deluje kao solo projekat - bedroom produkcija, sintetički bubnjevi i izražen DIY pristup kroz celu stvar. To ovde teško da je mana, s obzirom na to da u ovoj sceni mnogi one-man projekti funkcionišu na sirovoj urgentnosti, a ne na uglačanosti.

Kroz devet pesama i nešto manje od deset minuta, EP isporučuje kratke, ali intenzivne nalete haotičnog lo-fi emoviolence zvuka. Zategnuti, frenetični bubnjevi guraju pesme napred, gitare trzaju i raspadaju se u oštrim fragmentima, dok su vokali sirovi i nefiltrirani. Produkcija u momentima može delovati abrazivno i pomalo „lepljivo“, ali emotivni naboj sve to nosi i na kraju funkcioniše.

Ovo je kratko, nasilno slušanje koje ne ostaje duže nego što treba. Preporuka za ljubitelje hardcore screamo izdanja koji stalno traže kompaktne materijale zasnovane na hitnosti, tenziji i emotivnom preopterećenju, a ne na rafiniranosti.

TECHNICOLOR LIES

Location: Belgrade, Serbia

Year active: 2011 - 2018

Members: Srđan Janjić (vocals), Vladimir Pantić (guitar), Filip Gašić (guitar), Borko Vesković (bass), Stefan Dunjić (drums), Nikola Dimić (bass), Jovan Pavlović (drums), Mihajlo Đorović (guitar)

Related bands: Incomplete, Muerto Rico, Summer Deaths, Zicer Inc.

FFO: Taking Back Sunday, Cursive, Joyce Manor, Dreamwalk, Fall Out Boy

Technicolor Lies was an alt-rock / post-hardcore / emo-pop band from Belgrade, Serbia, formed in 2011. During their active years, they released two EPs and several standalone tracks. They shared stages with Serbian acts such as Sv. Pseta, Reflection, Young Husbands, and Incomplete, and toured the Balkans, most notably Romania and Bulgaria. After releasing a handful of singles, the band quietly disbanded. Guitarist Mihajlo Đorović later formed the project Summer Deaths and became involved with the rap collective Zicer Inc.

Their debut EP, Eclectic Youth, leans toward a more radio-friendly alternative rock and emo-pop framework, built on familiar pop-rock structures with occasional bursts of screamed vocals reminiscent of bands like Refused. Lyrically, it revolves around emotional displacement, fading youth, and post-utopian disillusionment, often framed through grand imagery - collapsed cities, dead suns, false gods - to express deeply personal feelings of isolation and exhaustion. While accessible on the surface, the EP carries a persistent sense of emptiness and unrealized promise beneath its melodic exterior.

With Wasted/Years/Broken/Words, the band noticeably hardens both its sound and tone. Screamed vocals move to the forefront, the songwriting becomes more confrontational, and the emotional focus shifts from abstract loss to accumulated damage - burnt relationships, hypocrisy, exhaustion, and self-blame. The production is more rigid and at times monotonous, which arguably mirrors the record’s themes of stagnation and burnout. While less immediate than its predecessor, the EP feels more inward-looking and abrasive, documenting the aftermath of disillusion rather than its onset.

The standalone singles (Air Max, Dementia & Daddy) released afterward sit somewhere between these two approaches, often sounding more balanced and focused, as if attempting to reconcile melody with the harsher emotional register the band had grown into.

In contrast to their relatively modest discography, Technicolor Lies were most memorable as a live band - energetic, emotionally charged, and the kind of act people would return to see multiple times. Their songs may have evolved unevenly, but their live presence consistently carried a sense of urgency that made their shows feel immediate and worth revisiting.

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Technicolor Lies je bio alt-rock / post-hardcore / emo-pop bend iz Beograda, osnovan 2011. godine. Tokom aktivnih godina objavili su dva EP-ja i nekoliko samostalnih singlova. Delili su bine sa domaćim bendovima poput Sv. Pseta, Reflection, Young Husbands i Incomplete, kao i na balkanskim turnejama, naročito u Rumuniji i Bugarskoj. Nakon objavljivanja nekoliko singlova, bend se tiho razišao. Gitarista Mihajlo Đorović kasnije je osnovao projekat Summer Deaths i uključio se u rap kolektiv Zicer Inc.

Njihov debitantski EP Eclectic Youth naginje pristupačnijem, radiofoničnom okviru alternativnog roka i emo-popa, oslanjajući se na poznate pop-rok strukture uz povremene izlive vrištavih vokala, koji podsećaju na bendove poput Refused. Tematski, tekstovi se bave emocionalnim izmeštanjem, nestajanjem mladosti i postutopijskim razočaranjem, često oblikovanim kroz grandiozne slike - srušeni gradovi, mrtva sunca, lažni bogovi - kako bi izrazili duboko lične osećaje izolacije i iscrpljenosti. Iako na površini pitom, EP ispod melodične spoljašnjosti nosi uporan osećaj praznine i neispunjenog potencijala.

Sa izdanjem Wasted/Years/Broken/Words bend primetno zaoštrava i zvuk i ton. Vrištavi vokali izlaze u prvi plan, pisanje postaje konfrontacionije, a emocionalni fokus se pomera sa apstraktnog gubitka na nagomilanu štetu - sagorele odnose, licemerje, umor i samookrivljavanje. Produkcija je rigidnija i povremeno monotona, što se može tumačiti kao odraz tema stagnacije i sagorevanja koje EP obrađuje. Iako manje neposredno od prethodnika, ovo izdanje deluje introspektivnije i abrazivnije, beležeći posledice razočaranja, a ne njegov početak.

Samostalni singlovi (Air Max, Dementia & Daddy) objavljeni nakon toga nalaze se negde između ova dva pristupa, često zvučeći izbalansiranije i fokusiranije, kao pokušaj pomirenja melodije sa grubljim emotivnim registrom u koji je bend vremenom ušao.

Uprkos relativno skromnoj diskografiji, Technicolor Lies su ostali najupamćeniji kao live bend - energični, emotivno nabijeni i onaj tip izvođača kome se publika rado vraćala. Iako se njihove pesme nisu uvek ravnomerno razvijale, nastupi uživo su dosledno nosili osećaj hitnosti koji je koncerte činio neposrednim i vrednim ponovnog gledanja.

Žudnja

Location: Novi Sad, Serbia

Year active: 2015 - 2018

Members: Marko (bass, vocals), Mladen (drums), Vuk (guitar, vocals)

Related bands: ????

FFO: Amanda Woodward, Belle Epoque, Mihai Edrische, Raein, With Engine Heart

Žudnja was a short-lived trio from Novi Sad. Somewhere in early 2015 they started performing, sharing stages with Eaglehaslanded, Muerto Rico and others. Months later they self-released their debut EP "Nervoza // Nekroza". They released a two-track EP 'Svemora' in 2018. There was no activity of the band afterwards.

Their music can be somewhat aligned with the European post-rock/screamo, especially French screamo. Their tracks are slightly lengthy (clocking around 4 minutes), progressive and flowing with emotion. The production of 'Nekroza//Nervoza' is lo-fi, raw and demo-like in design, while 'Svemora' is a lot more fresh and tighter.

Žudnja’s two EPs, Nervoza // Nekroza and Svemora, read like fragments of the same unease. Rather than direct statements, the band relies on metaphor and repetition to describe life under constant pressure... authority that feels arbitrary, work that leads nowhere, fear that slowly becomes routine. The lyrics circle around exhaustion, confusion, and the feeling of being shaped by forces that remain unnamed but ever-present.

While Nervoza // Nekroza leans toward inner collapse and psychological tension, Svemora shifts into stagnation and cyclical existence, movement without progress, history repeating itself without resolution. Taken together, these releases document a quiet but persistent anxiety, where understanding comes slowly, if at all, and silence sometimes feels like the only remaining form of control.

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Žudnja je bio kratkotrajan trio iz Novog Sada. Početkom 2015. godine započinju sa nastupima, deleći bine sa bendovima poput Eaglehaslanded, Muerto Rico i drugima. Nekoliko meseci kasnije samostalno objavljuju debitantski EP Nervoza // Nekroza. Godine 2018. izlazi još jedan EP sa dve pesme, Svemora. Nakon toga, bend više nije bio aktivan.

Njihova muzika može se svrstati u okvir evropskog post-hardcore/screamo zvuka, sa izraženim uticajem francuskog screama. Pesme su nešto duže (u proseku oko četiri minuta), progresivne i emotivno protočne. Produkcija Nervoza // Nekroza je lo-fi, sirova i demo-orijentisana, dok Svemora zvuči znatno svežije i zategnutije.

Dva EP-ja benda Žudnja, Nervoza // Nekroza i Svemora, deluju kao fragmenti iste nelagode. Umesto direktnih poruka, bend se oslanja na metaforu i ponavljanje kako bi opisao život pod konstantnim pritiskom... autoritet koji deluje proizvoljno, rad koji ne vodi nikuda, strah koji vremenom postaje rutina. Tekstovi kruže oko iscrpljenosti, konfuzije i osećaja da čoveka oblikuju sile koje ostaju neimenovane, ali stalno prisutne.

Dok se Nervoza // Nekroza više naginje unutrašnjem raspadu i psihološkoj tenziji, Svemora se pomera ka stagnaciji i cikličnom postojanju, kretanju bez napretka, istoriji koja se ponavlja bez razrešenja. Posmatrani zajedno, ovi radovi dokumentuju tihu, ali upornu anksioznost, u kojoj razumevanje dolazi sporo, ako uopšte dolazi, a tišina ponekad deluje kao jedini preostali oblik kontrole.

EVA RAS

Location: Belgrade, Serbia

Year active: 2016 - 2025

Members: Filip Stojiljkovic (vocals, guitar, drums, piano, bass)

Related bands: Art of Heartwork, Ask for Answers, Bradikardija, Logical Flora, Minutes of Decay, Ruined Tongues, Sueisntfine, tužan dečak kavr bend, WAAS

FFO: Orchid, Hassan I Sabbah, Pg.99, Jeromes Dream, Louise Cyphre

Eva Ras began the way most reckless and sincere projects do - by accident.

While in college, I started assembling leftover instrumentals into something new and named the project after a Serbian-Hungarian actress from the Black Wave. The name felt absurd. It stuck.

The earliest releases (2016 demo, two 5-way splits) were pure DIY collapse: GarageBand, Mixcraft drums, an acoustic guitar pushed into a dying microphone. They sounded exactly like that. Somehow, they circulated.

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Eva Ras je počela onako kako većina nepromišljenih i iskrenih projekata počinje - slučajno.

Tokom studija sam počeo da sklapam preostale instrumentalne snimke u nešto novo i dao projektu ime po srpsko-mađarskoj glumici iz crnog talasa. Ime je delovalo apsurdno. Ostalo je.

Najranija izdanja (demo iz 2016, dva petostruka splita) bila su čisti DIY kolaps: GarageBand, Mixcraft bubnjevi, akustična gitara gurana u mikrofon na izdisaju. Zvučalo je tačno tako. Nekako je krenulo da kruži.

After switching to electric guitar and Logic Pro X, the 2017 self-titled EP followed - still lo-fi, still Orchid-obsessed, still structurally unstable, but intentional. Cheap programmed drums, no bass, harsh vocals. It was the project finding its shape.

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Posle prelaska na električnu gitaru i Logic Pro X, usledio je istoimeni EP iz 2017. — i dalje lo-fi, i dalje opsednut Orchidom, i dalje strukturalno nestabilan, ali nameran. Jeftino programirani bubnjevi, bez basa, oštri vokali. Projekat je tada počeo da dobija oblik.

Live shows followed: MKC Kombinat, Fijuk Sajam, later Hali Gali’s Nightmare at Drugstore - where I performed alone, screaming over playback from an iPod Touch. It was chaotic, awkward, and unexpectedly effective. For the first time, Eva Ras felt real in front of people.

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Usledili su nastupi uživo: MKC Kombinat, Fijuk Sajam, kasnije Hali Gali’s Nightmare u Drugstoreu — gde sam nastupao sam, urlajući preko playbacka sa iPod Touch-a. Bilo je haotično, neprijatno i neočekivano efektno. Prvi put je Eva Ras delovala stvarno pred ljudima.

The full-length Proliferation of Broken Dreams came next, released through my now-defunct Confusion Specialist Records. Reception was split. Some praised the ferocity; others (correctly) criticized the production and sloppy execution. Both readings were fair.

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Zatim dolazi album Proliferation of Broken Dreams, objavljen preko mog sada ugašenog Confusion Specialist Records-a. Reakcije su bile podeljene. Neki su hvalili ferocitet; drugi su (s pravom) kritikovali produkciju i aljkavu izvedbu. Obe interpretacije su bile tačne.

A turning point came with the double EP/Prekretnica dolazi sa duplim EP-jem:

 

This was the clearest version of Eva Ras: fast, suffocating screamo with no dead space. Tracks like “Dekonstrukcija Yugoviolence” finally matched what I’d been trying to express for years. Reviews reflected that - Maximum Rocknroll called it “exceptionally harsh,” and for once, the description fit.

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Ovo je bila najjasnija verzija Eve Ras: brz, zagušujući screamo bez praznog prostora. Pesme poput „Dekonstrukcija Yugoviolence“ su konačno zvučale onako kako sam godinama pokušavao da ih izrazim. Recenzije su to potvrdile - Maximum Rocknroll ga je opisao kao „izuzetno brutalan“, i po prvi put je opis zaista odgovarao.

Between 2019 and 2023, the project existed mostly as live shows and short releases, including the split Similar Genes, Distant Relatives with give.me.the.gun, followed by two structurally experimental EPs.

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Između 2019. i 2023. projekat je uglavnom postojao kroz nastupe uživo i kratka izdanja, uključujući split Similar Genes, Distant Relatives sa give.me.the.gun, a zatim dva strukturalno eksperimentalna EP-ja.

In 2025, while writing Moje ime, moj dom i moj teret amid political collapse, violence, and exhaustion, it became clear I no longer had the capacity to continue.

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Godine 2025, dok sam pisao još jedan album usred političkog raspada, nasilja i iscrpljenosti, postalo je jasno da više nemam kapacitet da nastavim.

Eva Ras began as a coping mechanism, became a weapon, and eventually drained everything it could.

Ending it with an album felt necessary.

This isn’t a hiatus or a tease.

Eva Ras is finished.

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Eva Ras je počela kao mehanizam za preživljavanje, postala oružje, i na kraju iscrpela sve što je mogla.

Završiti je albumom delovalo je nužno.

Ovo nije pauza niti najava nečega novog.

Eva Ras je završena.

It was nice to meet you.

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Bilo nam je lepo upoznati.

MUERTO RICO

Location: Belgrade, Serbia

Year active: 2014 - 2019

Members: Filip Gašić (guitar), Kosta Jovanović (bass, vocals), Stefan Slavković (drums)

Related bands: Cannot, Young Husbands, Yobo

FFO: Loma Prieta, Amanda Woodward, The Farewell Reason, Lumber Lung

Muerto Rico was a post-hardcore / screamo trio from Belgrade, Serbia, active in the mid-2010s. They released their demo EP in August 2014, followed a year later by two EPs: Worst Coast and Undermost. Around the time of these releases, they played a show with Birds in Row (Deathwish Inc.) and Eagleshaslanded at Klub Fest. While Birds in Row were stopped at the Serbian border and couldn’t perform, the two opening bands continued with the show. They also appeared in numerous comps such as Miss the Stars’ third sample.

In that same year, Muerto Rico would expand into a quartet before announcing their breakup in 2019. Members have since gone on to play in bands such as Cannot, Young Husbands, and Yobo.

The band’s earlier material leaned heavily into rawness, often sounding unfinished and rough around the edges. Undermost, however, stands apart as their most focused and fully realized release. Across four tracks, Muerto Rico sharpen their sound into something heavier, darker, and more deliberate, with clear nods to Loma Prieta–style intensity.

Rather than relying on sheer chaos, the EP balances emotional volatility with structure, making it their most impactful statement.

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Muerto Rico je bio post-hardcore / screamo trio iz Beograda, aktivan sredinom 2010-ih. Demo EP objavili su u avgustu 2014. godine, a godinu dana kasnije izlaze dva EP-ja: Worst Coast i Undermost. U tom periodu svirali su koncert sa bendovima Birds in Row (Deathwish Inc.) i Eagleshaslanded u Klubu Fest. Iako su Birds in Row bili zaustavljeni na srpskoj granici i nisu mogli da nastupe, dva predgrupna benda su ipak odsvirala koncert.

U toj godini su se Muerto Rico proširili u kvartet, a 2019. godine bend zvanično objavljuje razlaz. Članovi su kasnije nastavili da sviraju u bendovima kao što su Cannot, Young Husbands i Yobo.

Rani materijal benda oslanjao se na sirovost i često je zvučao nedovršeno, grubo i neispeglano. Undermost se, međutim, izdvaja kao njihovo najfokusiranije i najzrelije izdanje. Kroz četiri pesme, Muerto Rico oblikuju zvuk koji je teži, mračniji i promišljeniji, sa jasnim uplivima intenziteta u stilu benda Loma Prieta.

Umesto oslanjanja na čisti haos, EP pronalazi balans između emotivne nestabilnosti i strukture, čineći Undermost njihovom najsnažnijom i najubedljivijom izjavom.

BANCAMP

LEITMOTIF

Location: Skopje, North Macedonia   

Year active: 2013-2018

Members: Blagoj Damjanovski, Blagoja Kamchevski, Predrag Mladenovski

Related bands: Disclone, Disease, Nervous SS, Gargara, Gears, Мариналеда, Nova Generacija

FFO: Uzmi Ruke, Mono, Moonraker, Slint, Funeral Diner, Breakwater

Leitmotif were a short-lived trio from Skopje, North Macedonia around 2013.  They released their debut EP ‘Luminescence’ through Deny Records and Подземни Фреквенции and a split with a fellow post-rock band Khara, as well as some live recordings such as ‘Point First’ for Radio 103 and a recording session made for the Maximum Rocknroll fundraiser at Kula. 

The band eventually dissolved in 2018 and the members would eventually play in bands such as Disclone, Disease, Мариналеда and Nova Generacija, etc.

Leitmotif plays the slow-burn post-rock that resembles much of the post-rock/emo hybrid, much under the vein of Moonraker, Slint, Uzmi Ruke and a bit of Mono with ocassional shouting vocals. Despite their small discography, some of their songs can go well up to 10 minutes. The lyrics are not only minimalistic and cryptic but also completely heartfelt.

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Leitmotif je bio kratkotrajni trio iz Skoplja, Severna Makedonija, aktivan početkom 2010-ih. Debitantski EP Luminescence objavili su 2013. godine za Deny Records i Подземни Фреквенции, nakon čega je usledio split sa post-rock bendom Khara. Pored zvaničnih izdanja, bend je iza sebe ostavio i nekoliko zapaženih live i session snimaka, uključujući Point First za Radio 103, kao i live session snimljen u Kuli u sklopu Maximum Rocknroll fundraisera.

Bend se raspao 2018. godine. Nakon toga, članovi su nastavili da sviraju u različitim projektima, među kojima su Disclone, Disease, Мариналеда i Nova Generacija, između ostalih.

Muzički, Leitmotif je delovao unutar sporog, postepenog post-rock izraza koji se snažno oslanjao na preklapanje post-rocka i emo-a - često poređen sa bendovima poput Moonraker, Slint, Uzmi Ruke, a povremeno i sa Mono. Njihove kompozicije bile su uglavnom dugog formata i strpljivo građene, sa pojedinim numerama koje su prelazile i deset minuta, oslanjajući se na postepeno podizanje tenzije umesto trenutnog efekta. Vokali su bili retki i povremeno vrisnuti, korišćeni više kao emotivni lom nego kao narativni vodič.

Uprkos skromnoj diskografiji, Leitmotif je ostavio jasan trag. Tekstovi su bili minimalistički i zagonetni, ali nikada ornamentalni - funkcionisali su pre kao fragmenti osećanja nego kao jasne poruke, dodatno naglašavajući fokus benda na atmosferu, uzdržanost i emotivnu težinu, ispred jasnoće ili razrešenja.

BANDCAMP

KALEIDO

Location: Zagreb, Croatia   

Year active: 2021 - present

Members: Mirna Čupić (vocals, guitar), Janet Beriša (vocals, guitar), Duga Bavoljak (vocals, trumpet), Andro Žamboki (bass), Martin Palčić (drums)

Related bands: Bongorodica, Gungula, panakota

FFO: Everyone Asked About You, Gregory & The Hawk, Modest Mouse, The Microphones

kaleido are an indie rock / midwest jazz-inflected quintet from Zagreb, Croatia. They dropped their first single “Snivaš” in 2021, followed by the 2022 debut EP Ja umirem ovdje (trans. I’m dying here), which drew considerable attention within the Croatian indie scene. A few years later, the band self-recorded and self-released their debut full-length Čiji je ovo pas? (trans. Whose dog is this?), with mixing by Anja Tkalec and Duga Bavoljak, and mastering by Uroš Mikić of Down There Studios.

While Ja umirem ovdje hinted at Kaleido’s direction, Čiji je ovo pas? is where their vision fully takes shape. Across eight tracks, the band sharpens their songwriting and gathers their ideas around a loose but persistent image - the dog - a subtle metaphor for inner tension, quiet exhaustion, and the feeling of constantly watching oneself from the outside.

Blending indie rock with touches of midwest emo, restrained post-punk dynamics, and understated jazz textures, the album unfolds patiently. It favors mood over immediacy and reflection over declaration, slowly building emotional weight rather than forcing catharsis.

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kaleido je indie rock kvintet iz Zagreba, sa izraženim uticajima midwest emo i jazz senzibiliteta. Prvi singl „Snivaš“ objavili su 2021. godine, nakon čega je usledio debitantski EP Ja umirem ovdje (2022), koji je privukao značajnu pažnju unutar hrvatske indie scene. Nekoliko godina kasnije, bend je samostalno snimio i objavio svoj prvi dugosvirajući album Čiji je ovo pas?, uz miks Anje Tkalec i Duge Bavoljak, te mastering Uroša Mikića iz Down There Studiosa.

Dok je Ja umirem ovdje samo nagoveštavao pravac u kom se Kaleido kreće, Čiji je ovo pas? predstavlja potpuno zaokruženu viziju benda. Kroz osam pesama, Kaleido izoštrava svoj autorski izraz i okuplja ideje oko labave, ali uporne slike - psa - kao suptilne metafore unutrašnje tenzije, tihe iscrpljenosti i osećaja stalnog posmatranja samog sebe sa distance.

Spajajući indie rock sa primesama midwest ema, suzdržane post-punk dinamike i nenametljivih jazz tekstura, album se razvija strpljivo. Prednost daje atmosferi nad neposrednošću i introspekciji nad deklaracijom, postepeno gradeći emotivnu težinu umesto da forsira katarzu.

BANDCAMP