DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS

Location: Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Year active: 2010 - ???? (possibly hiatus)

Members: Milica (vocals), Igor (guitar), Aljoša (guitar), Bojan (bass), Maksim (drums)

Related bands: Otih, Rahela Ferari

Labels: Good Samaritan Records, Castrato Records

FFO: Amygdala, Habak, Detestation, .fuckingcom, Cady, Drei Affen

Deer In The Headlights was a five-piece neocrust/screamo band from Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina. The band described themselves as “blackened crust.” It was formed by members of the defunct crust punk band Rahela Ferari (named after the Serbian actress).

Their first appearance was a 2010 split with Reflection of Internal Rain, from which some tracks were re-used on their demo EP a year later. Due to a dispute between bands, Deer In The Headlights eventually re-recorded their side in 2015.

In 2012, they dropped a 7" split with Croatian hardcore band Black Sails, supported by Good Samaritan Records. In 2013, they appeared on Dog Knights Productions’ Orchid Tribute Compilation, covering “36 Day Syndrome.”

Their self-titled debut EP was released in 2014 via Good Samaritan and Boslevan Records, followed by their second full-length, Mental Health, in 2016.

The band toured extensively across Europe during the 2010s, playing alongside regional peers such as Eaglehaslanded, Ponor, and Mališa Bahat, as well as international acts like Amygdala. They've performed at Fluff Fest a couple of times. After a long active period, the band eventually went on hiatus.

“Lately we’re trying to make a difference but it’s really hard because people are not so motivated. They’re not aiming at something bigger. In general, speaking about hardcore, there isn’t even a scene in Bosnia or the city where I live in. People are just trying to be mediocre and live their daily lives without expressing their full potential... but I guess that’s also because they don’t have money, which is their main concern”, said the vocalist Milica for the DIY Conspiracy interview.

The band’s sociopolitical stance ran deep, inspired by both older anti-nationalist DIY efforts and the lived experience of post-war Bosnia.

“Luckily, people in my band are not that young so they are a great source of information to me because of their experience. They grew up in the old country of Yugoslavia and they have these experiences that we (the young people) can’t have... And definitely, people should unite and tear down the walls, they should push each other and join in some kind of force using their potential.”

“In some aspects, we see that happening. There are a lot of shows and connection between people from neighbouring countries, there are also festivals like Monte Paradiso in Croatia, and everything’s easier in general because of the internet. But of course, my view is kind of pessimistic, because the change I see is very slow... at your place everything’s kinda stagnating. That’s really frustrating.”

Despite this, Milica emphasized how vital it was to stay active and not let cynicism get in the way of purpose.

“The fact that we’re playing all these shows and making music is very important to us. A lot of people already know us and know what we’re doing. We shouldn’t glorify the people who are active in the scene or play in a band but to know for what the band is standing for and the ideas behind it. The way they’re doing things — like the fact that we’re a DIY band — most of the people are so away from the concept of making things and music just for the sake of solidarity. I think there’s no other way, especially for Balkan countries. We just have to work together.”

As for the state of things in Bosnia, especially in Republika Srpska (the Serbian entity), she didn’t hold back.

“Bosnia is a federation of two entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina on one hand, and the Serbian part, Republika Srpska, on the other. In the Serbian part, there’s more conservative and aggressive politics prevailing... especially among young people — there are some really violent ones. There’s more money in the Federation and more things are finally happening there. Foreign people are coming more often, and the place is more open to new ideas.”

“What is tearing the state apart is the politicians. Those of the Serbian part are too much toward Serbia and Belgrade instead of focusing inward, on the people living here, like in Banja Luka... and the biggest problem is definitely corruption.”

After the band’s break, Igor (the drummer) started Otih, a post-punk/darkwave project during the COVID-19 pandemic, releasing a demo and a 7". However, there hasn’t been any update on a Deer In The Headlights reunion... at least, not yet.

When it comes to their music, I can't exactly pick a highlight from each release, solely because the entire discography is just too good. But what stands out to me is how it feels like a natural extension of their previous band, Rahela Ferari, gradually mutating into a more focused neocrust expression over the decade. Deer in the Headlights found a way to staple their pain and disillusionment into something tangible into art, especially in a place torn apart by two political entities. And i think their song 'OURS/THEIRS' says it best:

The nationalization of victims is a
crime perpetuated by politicians. They
thrive from a paranoid, delusional
citizen, because being angry at your
neighbor you forget you should be angry
at them. Between 1992 and 1995 there was
war in Bosnia that destroyed lives and
families. The people living in Bosnia
now are gravely affected by the
consequences of that war. Instead of
helping our people surpass the conflict
by focusing on the future and teaching
our children to look at the world with
better eyes, the media powered by
national politics still only serves as
a tool for enraging people of different
nations and religions against each other.

Не постоје наше и њихове жртве.
Жртве су жртве.

(There are no such things as our victims and their victims.
Victims are victims.)

It's the chaos, the tension, and the unresolved trauma that leaves you stunned, unable to move. Just like a deer in the headlights.

------

Deer In The Headlights je bio petočlani neocrust/screamo bend iz Banjaluke, Bosna i Hercegovina. Sami su sebe opisivali kao blackened crust. Nastali su od članova ugašenog crust punk benda Rahela Ferari (nazvanog po srpskoj glumici).

Prvo su se pojavili 2010. godine na split izdanju sa Reflection of Internal Rain, odakle su neke pesme kasnije prebačene na njihov demo EP iz 2011. Zbog nesuglasica među bendovima, Deer In The Headlights su svoju stranu ponovo snimili 2015.

Godine 2012. izdali su 7" split sa hrvatskim hardcore bendom Black Sails, u saradnji sa Good Samaritan Records. Učestvovali su 2013. na Orchid Tribute kompilaciji Dog Knights Productions-a, obradivši pesmu "36 Day Syndrome".

Debi EP Deer In The Headlights objavili su 2014. preko Good Samaritan i Boslevan Records, a drugi album Mental Health izašao je 2016. Bend je tokom 2010-ih intenzivno svirao po Evropi, delio binu sa regionalnim bendovima kao što su Eaglehaslanded, Ponor i Mališa Bahat, ali i sa međunarodnim imenima poput Amygdala. Nastupili su nekoliko puta na Fluff Festu. Nakon dužeg perioda aktivnosti, bend je otišao na pauzu.

Pevačica Milica je u intervjuu za DIY Conspiracy izjavila:

„U poslednje vreme pokušavamo da napravimo neku razliku, ali to je zaista teško jer ljudi nisu dovoljno motivisani. Ne teže ka nečemu većem. Generalno, što se hardkora tiče, u Bosni, pa ni u gradu gde ja živim, zapravo i ne postoji scena. Ljudi su prosto zadovoljni da ostanu prosečni i da vode svoje svakodnevne živote bez izražavanja svog punog potencijala... ali pretpostavljam da je to i zato što nemaju para, što im je glavna briga.“

Njihov društveno-politički stav bio je duboko ukorenjen, inspirisan starijim antinacionalističkim DIY naporima, ali i životnim iskustvom posleratne Bosne:

„Srećom, ljudi iz mog benda nisu toliko mladi, pa su mi oni veliki izvor informacija zahvaljujući svom iskustvu. Odrasli su u staroj zemlji, Jugoslaviji, i imaju ta iskustva koja mi mlađi ne možemo da imamo... I definitivno, ljudi bi trebalo da se ujedine i sruše zidove, da se guraju međusobno i udružuju u neku vrstu snage koristeći svoj potencijal.“

„U nekim aspektima to i viđamo. Ima dosta koncerata i povezivanja između ljudi iz susednih zemalja, postoje festivali poput Monte Paradisa u Hrvatskoj, i generalno je sve lakše zahvaljujući internetu. Ali naravno, moj pogled je pomalo pesimističan, jer su promene koje vidim veoma spore... kod vas sve nekako stagnira. To je baš frustrirajuće.“

Uprkos tome, Milica je naglasila koliko je važno ostati aktivan i ne dozvoliti cinizmu da uguši smisao:

„Činjenica da sviramo sve te svirke i pravimo muziku nama je jako bitna. Mnogi ljudi već znaju ko smo i šta radimo. Ne treba veličati ljude koji su aktivni u sceni ili sviraju u bendu, nego znati za šta se bend zalaže i koje ideje stoje iza toga. Način na koji se stvari rade — recimo to što smo mi DIY bend — većini ljudi je jako daleko od samog koncepta pravljenja muzike iz čiste solidarnosti. Mislim da za balkanske zemlje nema drugog puta. Prosto moramo da radimo zajedno.“

O stanju u Bosni, posebno u Republici Srpskoj, nije štedela reči:

„Bosna je federacija dva entiteta: Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine s jedne strane, i srpskog dela, Republike Srpske, s druge. U Republici Srpskoj preovlađuje konzervativnija i agresivnija politika... posebno među mladima — ima i dosta onih nasilnih. U Federaciji ima više para i konačno se dešava više stvari. Stranci sve češće dolaze i mesto je otvorenije za nove ideje.“

„Ono što uništava državu su političari. Oni iz Republike Srpske su previše okrenuti ka Srbiji i Beogradu, umesto da se fokusiraju na ljude koji ovde žive, kao u Banjaluci... a najveći problem je definitivno korupcija.“

Posle pauze, bubnjar Igor je tokom pandemije COVID-19 pokrenuo post-punk/darkwave projekat Otih, izdao demo i 7", ali za sada nema najava o povratku Deer In The Headlights-a.

Što se same muzike tiče, teško mi je da izdvojim vrhunac svakog izdanja — cela diskografija je jednostavno predobra. Ono što je posebno jeste što deluje kao prirodan nastavak onoga što su radili u Raheli Ferari, postepeno se preobražavajući u fokusiraniji neocrust izraz tokom decenije. Deer In The Headlights su uspeli da svoju bol i razočaranje pretvore u opipljivu umetnost, pogotovo u zemlji rastrgnutoj između dva politička entiteta. I mislim da njihova pesma "OURS/THEIRS" to najbolje kaže:

The nationalization of victims is a
crime perpetuated by politicians. They
thrive from a paranoid, delusional
citizen, because being angry at your
neighbor you forget you should be angry
at them. Between 1992 and 1995 there was
war in Bosnia that destroyed lives and
families. The people living in Bosnia
now are gravely affected by the
consequences of that war. Instead of
helping our people surpass the conflict
by focusing on the future and teaching
our children to look at the world with
better eyes, the media powered by
national politics still only serves as
a tool for enraging people of different
nations and religions against each other.

Не постоје наше и њихове жртве.
Жртве су жртве.

Haos, tenzija i nerazrešena trauma ostavljaju vas zatečenima, nesposobnima da se pomerite. Baš kao jelen u farovima.