BISKUP ZAUVEK

Location: Belgrade/Novi Sad, Serbia

Year active: 2022 - Ongoing

Members: Andrew, Igor, Vladimir

Related bands: Full Candor, Nabod!, Neven, Polywhy

FFO: Jimmy Eat World, Valovi, Sore Eyelids, Title Fight, My Bloody Valentine, Now, Now

In all honestly, i cannot imagine that something like this would appear out of the blue this year. It's a year full of surprises... Great surprises. What kind of surprises, you may ask? Well, here's what these guys have to offer! 

A bunch of members from Serbia's already established hardcore bands such as Nabod!, Neven (both from Belgrade) and Polywhy (from Novi Sad) decided to form a supergroup called Biskup Zauvek two years prior and up until recently they dropped their first EP Kada Bismo Vratili Vreme Bar Malo Unazad (trans. If We Could Just Turn Back Time A Bit), containing an artwork done by Lara Majkic (ig: elusivara). 

This little EP contains three tracks of angsty, but energetic and melodic indie rock with the striking influences of 90's emo and shoegaze. Although those influences are a bit subdued under the primary of Indie Rock and are treated as secondaries, these guys have done an incredible job of mixing those together, carrying the genres on their sleeves and creating their tunes both catchy and cathartic. To me, this is an amazing debut EP from them.

SUPPORT THEIR BANDCAMP!

Idiedthisfebruary

Location: Novi Sad, Serbia

Year active: 2023 - Ongoing

Members: Em Drakulic, Luka Salak, Stefan Duka

Related bands: give.me.the.gun, Labud, Plik

FFO: Jeromes Dream, Eaglehaslanded, In/Humanity, .minmo

Ah, yes. Novi Sad, the great old punk kingdom and Odense's southeastern european sister, the city that's as flat as a board and extremely friendly to bike riding, vegan, straight-edge, antifa punks, making sure to keep fascists and neo-nazis afraid of their very own existence. A lot of those things are what makes me love this city. Even more than my own hometown.

And most importantly, my very own friends who reside there, especially Stefan of give.me.the.gun, who has formed an upcoming screamo band along with Em and Luka. With the exception of Luka, both Em and Stefan have their own noise projects respectively.

The band in question is Idiedthisfebruary. They started performing in Novi Sad a couple times and performing in Belgrade for the first time. Whilst performing, they dropped their 2 Song Demo EP.

Here we're on a Wonka boat trip to the noisy garbling sample of this legendary Japanese 90's mindfuck which sets us off to the lo-fi chaotic mess of "Caught in a Daydream" lasting 2:26 of runtime, all hell set loose until we get to that somber moment of 1:10, building up to epic catharsis mode. Then we follow up to 2:38's "Rapid Eye Movement", challenging us with their epic breakdown, being occasionally prevalent throughout the song. Here are some of the lyrics to go by:

"Used to hate the Sun and now the sky's getting red

Every day I breathe, I can't get out of bed

 All my flowers wither as I turn into a slob

The months turn to years as the days turn to fog"

If that doesn't perfectly capture depression, then i don't know what does.

DEMO

A year later of following their touring, the band officially dropped their debut release "These Fading Years" at this exact month after their initial demo's release. An 8-track EP was recorded in Brutal Studio, mixed/mastered by Filip Djurovic and its artwork done by Vivi. Needless to say, it was quite worth the wait.

I've spoken with Em, the guitarist at the time of their gig and he jokingly pointed out how i have to look for new words to describe their show every time i write them a gig review, which sent me laughing, saying "you're totally right, better wait for your EP then!"

The EP opens with "You raise your arm, I turn away", with wearied, monotonous spoken words, lamenting on the effects of physical abuse (One more day to feel lobotomized/Talk to me as if i were a child, But no matter what you say/You raise your arm, i turn away), building up to screaming crescendos. After the lacerating chaos of 29-sec "I Won't Play Your Fucking Songs", the band delves further into themes of existential crisis (Get in the Fucking Robot, In Love With Misery, etc.) and depression (Rapid Eye Movement, Nothing), matching the overall depressive mood to the generous amount. Despite that, the mixing can be slightly muddy and most of the guitar work (trebly at best) is almost nearly upfront than the rest, and it wasn't as punchy as i thought it would be. Nevertheless, it still maintains to be a listenable experience for half an hour.

THESE FADING DAYS