LARS FROM NORWAY

Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia

Year active: 2024

Members: Tilen Boršič (guitar, vocals), Anja Mikulan (drums, vocals), Martin Tomažič (bass)

Related bands: ???

FFO: Whirr, Wisp, Slowdive, Jejune, Sore Eyelids, Title Fight (later)

Lars from Norway is an emocore/shoegaze band formed in Ljubljana, Slovenia. They released their first demo single in November 2024, followed by a demo tape (stylized as D(emo) Tejp) a year later - notably recorded on a phone.

Since then, the band has dropped two more singles, some of which received airplay and support from Radio Študent. This led to greater visibility in the Slovenian DIY scene, pushing them onto stages across the country and into lineups alongside newer acts such as Falesia (ITA/SLO).

Their debut single leans heavily into old-school punk. At just around a minute and a half, it can come off repetitive and doesn’t quite reflect the musical direction Lars would explore in their later work.

D(emo) Tejp, on the other hand, shows a dramatic shift. The blurry, reverb-soaked fuzz gives the songs a dreamy, ethereal mood - complete with alternating dual vocals and the occasional harsh shout. It’s raw, lo-fi, and imperfect, but it’s also the first glimpse of the identity the band seems to be carving out for themselves.

The first thing that catches your ears is the way the project builds atmosphere - with slow, saturated chords, teenage sadness and vocals that sound like they're coming from some foggy bedroom. It's the kind of music that doesn't try to be "big" or production-heavy; on the contrary, it relies on intimacy, rawness and a sense of inner distances.

As part of a scene that is rarely associated with such genres in our country, Lars from Norway brings something fresh: music that stands between shoegaze melancholy and the emo sensibility of the early 2000s. It's not just nostalgia, but a real attempt to capture the moment - that mixture of tiredness, longing and tenderness that you feel when the world quiets down a bit.

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Lars from Norway je emocore/shoegaze bend iz Ljubljane, osnovan 2024. godine. Članovi su Tilen Boršič, Anja Mikulan i Martin Tomažič. Prvi demo singl objavili su u novembru 2024, a godinu dana kasnije izbacili su demo kasetu pod nazivom D(emo) Tejp - snimljeno direktno na telefonu.

U periodu posle toga objavili su još dva singla, a nekoliko pesama dobilo je i emitovanje na Radio Študentu. To im je donelo veću vidljivost u slovenačkoj DIY sceni i omogućilo nastupe širom zemlje, uključujući lineupe sa novijim grupama poput Falesia (ITA/SLO).

Njihov debitantski singl oslanja se na old-school punk pristup - kratak, repetetivan i ne baš pokazni primer onoga što će kasnije razviti. D(emo) Tejp, s druge strane, predstavlja veliki estetski zaokret: mutni, reverbom zamagljeni fuzz stvara sanjivu, eteričnu atmosferu, vokali se smenjuju i povremeno pucaju u oštrije krike. Sirovo, lo-fi i tehnički nesavršeno, ali istovremeno prvi pravi nagoveštaj identiteta koji bend danas gradi.

Prvo što upada u uši jeste način na koji projekt gradi atmosferu - sporim, zasićenim akordima, tinejdžerskom tugom i vokalima koji zvuče kao da dopiru iz neke maglovite spavaće sobe. To je onaj tip muzike koji ne pokušava da bude „velik“ ili produkcijski ispeglan; naprotiv, oslanja se na intimnost, sirovost i osećaj unutrašnjih daljina.

Kao deo scene koja se kod nas retko povezuje sa ovakvim žanrovima, Lars from Norway donosi nešto sveže: muziku koja stoji između shoegaze melanholije i emo senzibiliteta ranih dvihiljaditih. Nije to samo nostalgija, već pravi pokušaj hvatanja trenutka – one mešavine umora, čežnje i nežnosti koju osećaš kad se svet malo utiša.

SUPPORT LARS FROM NORWAY ON BANDCAMP BELOW!

NORTH OF ME

Location: Zagreb, Croatia

Year active: 2025

Members: Dino Kezo

Related bands: ???

FFO: Lunar, Man Zero, Moving Mountains, Toundra

North of Me is a Zagreb-based project that is run by Dino Kezo. He plays a somber instrumental post-rock that somehow borders on the Emo Revival, while also nodding two familiar croatian post-rock bands such as Lunar and Man Zero, as well as some from abroad like Moving Mountains and Toundra.

He dropped a two-track EP 'Second Chapter' this spring. Although it was made under the demo production, it also gives us a hint of what this newly formed project would be. If that's the case, i am really looking forward new, full fleshed sounds from this project.

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North of Me je zagrebački projekat iza kojeg stoji Dino Kezo. Njegova muzika naginje ka sumornom, instrumentalnom post-roku koji povremeno skrene u Emo Revival estetiku, dok istovremeno vuče paralele s domaćim post-rock imenima poput Lunara i Man Zero, ali i sa stranim bendovima tipa Moving Mountains i Toundra.

Ovog proleća izbacio je dvopesmični EP Second Chapter. Produkcija je i dalje demo, ali dovoljno jasna da pokaže u kom se pravcu projekat razvija. Ako je ovaj EP ikakav nagoveštaj onoga što dolazi, realno — ima tu prostora za nešto vrlo lepo i zaokruženo.

VEŠTAČKI OMOTAČ

Location: Serbia

Year active: 2023 - ?????

Members: Uves

Related bands: ?????

FFO: The Jim Yoshi Pile, A Lot Like Paris, just friends.

Well, time to rest from the noise a bit and get down to something more quiet... slow... somber. Something like that.

Lately i've been wondering if there was any slowcore existing in this region. Now i know that slowcore is an entirely different thing, but keep in mind that many bands such as The Jim Yoshi Pile, A Lot Like Paris, Mineral and a lot of those belonging to Emo spectrum have been incorporating Slowcore in their music for quite some time. 

So i had to get down to it, starting with bandcamp to detect any release with that term and then  this project Vestacki Omotac (artificial covering) from Serbia (no city has been specified) came out of my radar. The project itself only dropped a full length self-titled album in 2023. The gorgeous cover was compelling enough for me to jamming the whole thing.

The album starts with a 1:35 minute glowing aura opener 'Toplo narandzasto svetlo' (warm orange light) as it is afterwards followed straight thru the 2:47 minutes of gorgeous lo-fi indie strumming as faint vocals are heard at the side in 'Napravljeno od lisce' (Made of leaves). Then we're getting all cozy in Pejzaz (Landscape) until 1:27 moody bass kicks in, with lo-fi synths intensifying the eerie atmosphere until it resumes back to lo-fi coziness. In 'Slamena Figura' (Straw figure), it's as similar as to 'Toplo narandzasto svetlo', until the cymbals amplify things around 3:27 where it rings around the rest of the song. The 2:15 minutes of lo-fi booming synths in 'Dalekovodi' (Power lines) is deliciously melancholic in its doom.

As the album unfolds, Vestacki Omotac continues its slow, meditative journey. Instead of focusing on individual tracks, it feels more appropriate to highlight the album’s overall atmosphere, one of muted melancholy and lo-fi intimacy. The songs bleed into one another, creating a seamless, dreamlike state where time feels almost suspended.

What stands out most is the project’s ability to maintain a consistent mood without feeling stagnant. Each track might share a similar palette of soft guitars, hushed vocals, and airy synths, but subtle shifts in tone and texture keep the experience engaging. It’s less about distinct songs and more about the cumulative effect, a long, reflective exhale.

The album thrives in its restraint, leaning into the slowcore ethos of doing more with less. It doesn’t chase catchy hooks or dramatic climaxes. Instead, it offers a gentle and enveloping listen, ideal for quiet moments of introspection or simply letting your mind wander.

While the uniformity of the tracks might make it difficult to pinpoint standout moments, it also strengthens the album’s identity as a cohesive whole. It's a collection of quasi instrumental slowcore goodness. Childlike and quirky, but unafraid to reveal itself.

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E pa dobro, vreme je da se malo odmorimo od buke i siđemo u nešto tiše… sporije… setnije. Nešto tog tipa.

U poslednje vreme sam se pitao da li je uopšte postojao slowcore na ovim prostorima. Jasno mi je da je slowcore poseban pravac, ali valja imati na umu da su mnogi bendovi poput The Jim Yoshi Pile, A Lot Like Paris, Mineral i još gomila iz šireg emo spektra već dugo u svoje pesme ubacivali slowcore elemente.

Tako sam morao da zaronim u potragu — prvo na Bandcamp, tražeći bilo kakvo izdanje pod tim terminom — i eto, ispliva mi ovaj projekat Veštački Omotač iz Srbije (bez konkretno navedenog grada). Projekat je izbacio samo jedan full-length, istoimeni album, 2023. godine. Sam omot je dovoljno lep i intrigantan da sam pustio ceo album bez razmišljanja.

Album otvara „Toplo narandžasto svetlo“ (1:35), blistava aura-intro, posle čega ulazimo pravo u 2:47 minuta prelepog lo-fi indie drndanja uz jedva čujne vokale sa strane — „Napravljeno od lišća“. U „Pejzažu“ se zavaljujemo u toplo lo-fi okruženje dok se u 1:27 ne ubaci setni bas, a zatim lo-fi sintovi podižu jezivu atmosferu pre nego što sve ponovo padne nazad u nežnu tišinu. „Slamena figura“ (Straw figure) kreće u maniru „Toplog narandžastog svetla“, ali se stvari lagano rasplamsavaju kada se činela uključi oko 3:27 i razlije do kraja pesme. A „Dalekovodi“ (2:15) — mračni, lo-fi bum synth komad — pruža melanholiju toliko ukusnu da graniči s doom estetikom.

Kako album odmiče, Veštački Omotač nastavlja svoju sporu, meditativnu putanju. Umesto da se hvata za pojedinačne pesme, smislenije je govoriti o celokupnoj atmosferi — prigušene melanholije i lo-fi intime. Numere se slivaju jedna u drugu, stvarajući besprekidan, snoliki tok u kojem vreme kao da prestaje da postoji.

Ono što najviše odskače jeste sposobnost projekta da zadrži konzistentno raspoloženje a da pri tom ne deluje monotono. Iako pesme dele sličnu paletu — meke gitare, prigušene vokale i vazdušaste sintove — suptilne promene u tonu i teksturi drže slušanje živim. Više je reč o kumulativnom efektu nego o pojedinačnim momentima, kao jedan dugačak, refleksivan uzdah.

Album uspeva baš u svojoj uzdržanosti, oslanjajući se na slowcore filozofiju „više kroz manje“. Ne juri za zaraznim refrenima niti dramatičnim vrhuncima. Umesto toga pruža blago, obavijajuće iskustvo — idealno za tihe trenutke introspekcije ili puštanja uma da luta.

Da, uniformnost pesama može otežati izdvajanje „hitova“, ali to je ujedno i snaga ovog albuma: jasno profilisana celina. Kolekcija poluinstrumentalnog slowcorea — detinjasta i luckasta, ali dovoljno hrabra da pokaže pravo lice.

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