YÖU

Location: Skopje, North Macedonia

Year active: 2015 - Current

Members: Bojan Stanić, Erik Omeragić, Marko Krstevski, Martin Mitevski, Teodora 'Tejka' Vasiljević

Related bands: Emma, Mindless Violence, Omowsky, Палиндром

FFO: Touche Amore, My Iron Lung, Keyes, Daitro

I'm finally taking this opportunity to cover this band, just days after they dropped their latest offerings. They're not the first to from North Macedonia to make wave (shout out to Irritatement!) and certainly won't be the last. But, i am really stoked to be talking about YÖU.

Band photo by Aleksandar Ilijevski

YÖU is a screamo/post-hardcore band from Skopje, North Macedonia, formed in 2015. After a handful of previous punk acts such as Палиндром, Mindless Violence, Omowsky and Emma, YÖU was formed to create something new. They dropped their first debut album "We Sing The Blues..." in 2017, with the help of Deny Records. It was also Martin Mitevski's debut album to perform in before the multiple line-up changes

We Sing The Blues... spans 7 tracks, delivering a raw, emotional punch. The sound is heavily reminiscent of Touche Amore, with traces of Daitro peeking through. The production is on the thin side, especially with the lack of distortion on the guitars, which gives it a similar vibe to At The Drive-In’s Acrobatic Tenement. Despite this, the album has a melancholic, stripped-down energy that really resonated with me. It’s raw, unpolished, but there’s something real there—something solid.

Fast forward 7 years, and YÖU’s newest release, the four-track EP River of Sadness, shows just how much they've evolved. Released through I! Brutalist! Records, their production has deepened, and their songwriting feels more refined, more introspective. The B-side of the EP includes two versions of one of their tracks, featuring guest vocals from Fitz (aka Feetz). One version is their usual screamo sound, while the alternate version, with the drummer Tejka on vocals, is an absolute standout for me. It reminds me a lot of Keyes and Now, Now, leaning into a more melancholic, atmospheric vibe that really hits home.

YÖU remains one of the shining examples of North Macedonia's DIY scene. Their persistence, creativity, and ability to keep dropping solid releases after nearly a decade show that this scene, though small, is filled with bands like YÖU who prove that anything is possible.

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Eaglehaslanded

Location: Belgrade, Serbia

Year active: 2012 - 2017

Members: Stefan Ćirić, Nemanja Ćirić, Djidji Kjajić

Related bands: Sv. Pseta, New Church, New Way Kids, радост-страдање

FFO: Eyelet, The Usual, Potence, Caust, Danse Macabre, Ekkaia, Idiedthisfebruary

Around the Y2K's in Serbia, Novi Sad has Reflections of Internal Rain. A decade later, Eaglehaslanded blossomed its way in Belgrade. The Ćirić brothers, who are born Serbian, spent their lives growing up in Russia, thus jokingly referring themselves to be from Russia, which flew over people's heads.

I've got this opportunity to see them for the first time in the defunct club Žica, along with No Omega and ROIR, especially for it being a screamo punk show. They were absolutely going fucking wild for it and everyone freaked out. It was definitely an experience for me and i've been frequenting their shows over the years. They've been extensively touring until parting ways in 2017. Nemanja would play in Sv. Pseta and New Church while Stefan does his tattooing business.

One of my favorite pics i took from them.

So far, Eaglehaslanded had released their Demo in 2012, an EP "eternal sleep of never ending nightmare" and an 8-bit album "Bringing the pizza home" in 2013, their self-titled 7" in 2014, and another self-titled 7" in 2016. They also did splits with Les deux minutes de la haine, Foxmoulder Cult of Pythagoras and finally, Left To Starve. I think i've bought almost every release there is to find, except for the first two releases and the one with Foxmoulder.

My semi-complete collection of EHL discography, 2018.

Eaglehaslanded used to play, in their words "street screamo". What i hear is in the vein of raw and chaotic metallic neocrust genre and have a knack of including their instrumental 8-bit compositions as intros or interludes. Most of the songs are sung in English, Russian and Serbian. If i would pick a few favorite songs, it would be "College Girl" for its use of samples from an iconic Emir Kusturica movie, building up to frantic-panic breakdowns for 1:35, the pure desperation in "Mora Samo Da Se Umre", the solemn melancholy of semi-instrumental "Raul and Julia (Lizards and Queens)" for the good 4 minutes and the amazing closure of "Mirage" featuring the vocalist of Les deux minutes de la haine.

Eaglehaslanded was definitely something special—a band that brought raw intensity and emotion to every show, blending cultures, languages, and genres into their unique take on screamo. Their music wasn’t just chaotic; it was a powerful reflection of the underground scene in Serbia and beyond. From the blistering energy of their live performances to their eclectic discography, Eaglehaslanded left a lasting imprint on those who experienced their sound. Even though they parted ways in 2017, their legacy remains a vital piece of Serbia's punk and screamo history, and for those of us who were there, it’s a memory all of us won’t soon forget.

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