ANALENA

Location: Croatia/Slovenia

Year active: 1997 - ?????

Members: Ana Franjić (vocals, bass), Miodrag Gladović – Mijo (guitar), Miran Rusjan (guitar), Dubravko Dragojević – Zet (drums), Danijel Sikora – Six (bass)

Related bands: Ha Det Bra, Kiper, Lunar, Man in the Shadow, Schmrtz teatar

FFO: Assay, At The Drive-In, Cursive, Eldritch Anisette, Envy, Life... But How To Live It?, Lvmen, Petrograd, Portraits of Past, Refused, Still Life, Sed Non Satiata, Undone

In recent years, I’ve been looping Inconstantinopolis during drives to my language lessons. With each listen, it grew on me, enough to finally write about this legendary band.

Analena is a female-fronted band that shares members from Croatia and Slovenia. The term ANALENA comes from the ancient Sanskrit, and translates as "like/by the fire". Analena was founded in Zagreb in 1997 by Mijo, Zet, and Six. Their first vocalist was Irena, before Ana joined as the permanent singer a year later. Miran - associated with Moonlee Records, the defunct emocore band Man in the Shadow, and the 13.brat zine- joined as guitarist in 2003. Six left in 2006. After a period with a substitute bassist, Ana eventually took on bass duties herself, solidifying a lineup that remains unchanged to this day.

According to the DIY Conspiracy interview, Mirjan stated that "there were many punk bands with anti-war and anti-nationalistic message at that time, but there were also »punk« bands that promoted nationalistic ideas" and also mentioned a 1996 7" compilation “Preko zidova nacionalizma i rata” (Against the walls of nationalism and war), furthering the idea that nationalism in the region can and should be overcome.

Beyond touring Croatia and Slovenia, they performed across Europe, including appearances at major festivals like the now-defunct Fluff Fest in the Czech Republic.

They recorded their 4-track demo tape in 1999 and their debut album 'Arythmetics' (first as a 7" EP, then as a CD with a few additional tracks) and a split with the legendary Serbian hardcore band .Unison. in 2001. In 2002, they would eventually release a split with Austrian screamo band Sensual Love titled 'It's Never Too Late To Split Up'. In 2004, they've released their second studio album 'Carbon Based' and their third album 'Inconstantinopolis' in 2009, both supported by the amazing Moonlee Records.

Their sound spans the fiery energy of punk, the bittersweet bursts of emo/screamo, and the steadier pulse of post-punk, especially prominent in their later work. They’re unafraid to experiment with post-hardcore’s inherent fluidity. Their lyrics are often abstract, surreal and minimalist (instead of upfront revolutionary slogans that hardcore punk is known for), with which repetition often emphasises their words. They deal with topics like personal freedom, existentialism and individuality. Ana's vocals often range from spoken word, clean vocals and screaming, often accompanied by Mijo's desperate shouting, akin to Ian MacKaye's.

In a region often defined by machismo, nationalism, and post-war nihilism, Analena stood as something fiercely different. They weren’t just another screamo band—they were a transnational, feminist, emotionally literate force in a scene still struggling with old-school hardcore masculinity. Their presence (particularly Ana’s vocals and lyrics) disrupted the norm, and invited something more vulnerable, poetic, and politically fluid.

While many ex-Yu hardcore bands screamed about injustice in the most literal way possible, Analena's lyricism felt elliptical, surreal, less didactic, more introspective. This didn’t weaken their impact, it made it deeper. Where other bands offered slogans, Analena offered open-ended wounds. And crucially, they weren’t a band trapped in the Balkans—they moved. Toured. Collaborated. Released through Moonlee. Played Fluff. Their ambition didn’t betray their DIY ethics—it redefined them for a post-war generation. If Unison was the voice of Serbian resistance, Analena was the crooked lullaby sung from the borderlines of Croatia and Slovenia.

Rather than reviewing every release, I’ll highlight my personal favorites from each album.

The eponymous title track from their debut 'Arhythmetics' already blasts off with heavy, passionate and raw production much akin to Eldritch Anisette, with enough hooks and harmonies catchy enough to get enticed. Although Ana’s vocals are mostly clean, she unleashes relentless rage in 'So Real', heightening the bittersweet devastation of the songwriting, a callback to classic ’90s screamo.

Taken from the split with .Unison., 'The Bow & The Arrow' allows the bittersweet melodies flourish while Ana interpolates with Mijo as they sing and shout. My favorite takeaway is the quiet bridge where she sings 'Concentrate, concentrate' before shrieking mid-silence 'RELEASE!' That to me was the most cathartic moment from the split.

'The Metaphorical Approach' from 'It's Never Too Late To Split Up' is probably the most skramziest of all in just 2:50 minutes, almost bordering on the Funeral Diner and Portraits of Past, exactly essential for their existential turmoil. The lyrics read:

The first three minutes were great just like the beginning of the universe but then in the end we'll all go up in flames. Just like fire. Yes, it will probably happen again. My history repeats itself. Yes, I will do it again. I will spin in the wrong way. A coward dies a thousand times.

That last line really hit deep. Given that Analena is one of the few Ex-Yu bands with feminist roots, the quote might be flipped on its head: we die a thousand times because we’re forced to suppress vulnerability, again and again.

Onto their next album 'Carbon Based', 'Carbon Based Organisms' kicks off fiery screamo with minimalist poetry on individuality and 'Dream Amplifiers' give out their bittersweet take on empty idealism, demanding that 'we need dream amplifiers to make it louder, so they can feel it in their bones', despite that 'still, the world is grey', concluding that even if we 'pave with good intentions'. It's a critical take on naïve optimism. 'Notturno' takes it further and deeper with Still Life's devastating essence, almost on a depressive level. The lyric, though very short, reads almost like a mantra: How deep is this night? Don’t look down. Jump. Leave your fears behind. It's a powerful minimalist piece that is often ambiguous - definitely up for personal interpretation.

And lastly, 'Inconstantinopolis' opens with the deceptively upbeat post-punk groove of 108: Cedar Calling Down. I say “upbeat,” but the lyrics suggest otherwise...: As i rise/higher and higher/Into the calm blue embrace/I swear i can feel it expanding/But i see no god up here'

On 'Off With My Head', steady drums correlated with guitars/bass in a quasi math-rock fashion, gradually unraveling into 'Refused' territory. My favourite part being the bridge part right after the chorus, where the entire band screams 'Off with my head' repeatedly - as if from the distance, which further enhances the intensity.

Without further ado, i'll conclude this review with Miran's words from that interview:

"To question everything, to make your mind, »to focus the camera on yourself«, to stand up, to be yourself, to be responsible in your irresponsibility, to live a life worth living. »To see the colours behind Violet. To walk out of the frames. To wash off the lies. To cross the line. Cross the line. To live. To die no more.« And it made us the persons we are today, and we are happy about it."

-----------

Poslednjih godina često sam vrtio Inconstantinopolis dok sam išao na časove jezika. Svakim slušanjem mi je sve više ulazila pod kožu — dovoljno da napokon napišem nešto o ovom legendarnom bendu.

Analena je bend sa ženskim vokalom koji okuplja članove iz Hrvatske i Slovenije. Ime Analena potiče iz starog sanskrita i prevodi se kao „kao/pored vatre“. Bend je osnovan u Zagrebu 1997. godine od strane Mije, Zeta i Sixa. Prva pevačica bila je Irena, pre nego što se Ana pridružila godinu dana kasnije i postala stalni vokal. Miran — povezan sa Moonlee Records-om, bivšim emocore bendom Man in the Shadow i fanzinom 13.brat — priključuje se kao gitarista 2003. godine. Six odlazi 2006, a posle kraćeg perioda sa privremenim basistom, Ana preuzima i bas, čime se formira postava koja i danas traje.

U intervjuu za DIY Conspiracy, Miran je rekao:

„Tada je bilo mnogo pank bendova sa antiratnom i antinacionalističkom porukom, ali je bilo i ‘pank’ bendova koji su promovisali nacionalističke ideje.“

On je pomenuo i kompilaciju iz 1996. Preko zidova nacionalizma i rata, naglašavajući da se nacionalizam u regionu može i treba prevazići.

Pored koncerata u Hrvatskoj i Sloveniji, svirali su širom Evrope, uključujući nastupe na velikim festivalima poput sada ugašenog Fluff Festa u Češkoj.

Njihova demo kaseta od 4 pesme izlazi 1999, a zatim i debi album Arythmetics (prvo kao 7", a potom na CD-u sa dodatnim pesmama), kao i split sa legendarnim srpskim hardcore bendom .Unison. 2001. godine. Sledeće godine objavljuju split sa austrijskim screamo bendom Sensual Love, pod nazivom It’s Never Too Late To Split Up. Drugi album, Carbon Based, izlazi 2004, dok treći, Inconstantinopolis, izlazi 2009. godine, oba pod okriljem Moonlee Records.

Njihov zvuk obuhvata sirovu energiju panka, emotivne erupcije emoa/screamoa i postojaniji puls post-punka, posebno izražen u kasnijim radovima. Ne plaše se da eksperimentišu fluidnošću post-hardcora. Tekstovi su često apstraktni, minimalistički i nadrealni — umesto direktnih parola koje hardcore tradicionalno koristi. Tematski se bave slobodom, egzistencijom i individualizmom. Anin vokal varira od spoken word-a, čistog pevanja, do vriskova, često kontrastiran Mijinim očajničkim povicima, u stilu Iana MacKaye-a.

U regionu koji se i dalje definiše kroz mačizam, nacionalizam i postratni nihilizam, Analena je stajala kao nešto radikalno drugačije. Nisu bili „samo još jedan screamo bend“ — već transnacionalna, feministička, emotivno pismena sila u sceni gde je još uvek dominirala old school hardcore muževnost. Njihovo prisustvo (posebno Anini tekstovi i vokali) remetilo je norme i unosilo nešto ranjivije, poetskije, politički fluidnije.

Dok su mnogi ex-Yu hardcore bendovi vrištali o nepravdi u što direktnijem obliku, Analena je nudila tekstove koji su bili eliptični, nadrealni, introspektivni. Time njihov uticaj nije bio oslabljen — već produbljen. Dok su drugi nudili parole, oni su nudili otvorene rane. A što je možda najvažnije — nisu bili bend ograničen Balkanom: svirali su, sarađivali, objavljivali preko Moonlee-a, nastupali na Fluffu. Njihova ambicija nije izdavala DIY etiku — redefinisala ju je za posleratnu generaciju. Ako je Unison bio glas srpskog otpora, Analena je bila kriva uspavanka sa granice Hrvatske i Slovenije.

Moji lični favoriti:

Sa debija Arythmetics, naslovna numera odmah kreće sa sirovom, strastvenom produkcijom nalik Eldritch Anisette, dok 'So Real' otvara prostor za Anin bes, koji pojačava gorčinu i devastaciju pesme, podsećajući na klasični ’90s screamo.

Sa split-a sa .Unison., 'The Bow & The Arrow' kombinuje melodičnost i intenzitet, sa prelepim tihim mostom gde Ana peva “Concentrate, concentrate” pre nego što vrisne “RELEASE!” — jedan od najkatarzičnijih trenutaka celog split-a.

Sa It’s Never Too Late To Split Up, numera 'The Metaphorical Approach' donosi najskramzije momente za samo 2:50, na ivici Funeral Diner-a i Portraits of Past. Tekst glasi:

The first three minutes were great just like the beginning of the universe

but then in the end we'll all go up in flames.

Just like fire.

Yes, it will probably happen again.

My history repeats itself.

Yes, I will do it again.

I will spin in the wrong way.

A coward dies a thousand times.

Taj poslednji stih posebno odjekuje — u kontekstu feminističkih korena benda, mogao bi da se preokrene: umiremo hiljadu puta jer smo prinuđeni da potiskujemo ranjivost iznova i iznova.

Na Carbon Based, numera 'Carbon Based Organisms' donosi minimalističku poeziju o individualizmu, dok 'Dream Amplifiers' kritikuje naivni idealizam zahtevajući “we need dream amplifiers to make it louder, so they can feel it in their bones”, ali zaključuje da je “still, the world is grey”. 'Notturno' odlazi još dublje u introspektivu, nalik na Still Life, sa gotovo depresivnim mantričnim stihom: How deep is this night? Don’t look down. Jump. Leave your fears behind.

Na Inconstantinopolis-u, '108: Cedar Calling Down' otvara album lažno optimističnim post-punk groove-om, dok tekst poručuje: As I rise / higher and higher / Into the calm blue embrace / I swear I can feel it expanding / But I see no god up here. 'Off With My Head' se gradi u quasi-math rock maniru, razbijajući se u Refused teritoriju, a najjači deo je most kada ceo bend urla “Off with my head” u daljini — efekat koji samo pojačava intenzitet.

Na kraju, prepustiću završnu reč Miranu iz tog intervjua:

„Propitkivati sve, misliti svojom glavom, »fokusirati kameru na sebe«, ustati, biti svoj, biti odgovoran u svojoj neodgovornosti, živeti život vredan življenja. »Videti boje iza Violet. Izaći iz okvira. Sprati laži. Preći granicu. Preći granicu. Živeti. Ne umirati više.« To nas je učinilo osobama kakve smo danas, i srećni smo zbog toga.“