Members: Mirna Čupić (vocals, guitar), Janet Beriša (vocals, guitar), Duga Bavoljak (vocals, trumpet), Andro Žamboki (bass), Martin Palčić (drums)
Related bands: Bongorodica, Gungula, panakota
FFO: Everyone Asked About You, Gregory & The Hawk, Modest Mouse, The Microphones
kaleido are an indie rock / midwest jazz-inflected quintet from Zagreb, Croatia. They dropped their first single “Snivaš” in 2021, followed by the 2022 debut EP Ja umirem ovdje (trans. I’m dying here), which drew considerable attention within the Croatian indie scene. A few years later, the band self-recorded and self-released their debut full-length Čiji je ovo pas? (trans. Whose dog is this?), with mixing by Anja Tkalec and Duga Bavoljak, and mastering by Uroš Mikić of Down There Studios.
While Ja umirem ovdje hinted at Kaleido’s direction, Čiji je ovo pas? is where their vision fully takes shape. Across eight tracks, the band sharpens their songwriting and gathers their ideas around a loose but persistent image - the dog - a subtle metaphor for inner tension, quiet exhaustion, and the feeling of constantly watching oneself from the outside.
Blending indie rock with touches of midwest emo, restrained post-punk dynamics, and understated jazz textures, the album unfolds patiently. It favors mood over immediacy and reflection over declaration, slowly building emotional weight rather than forcing catharsis.
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kaleido je indie rock kvintet iz Zagreba, sa izraženim uticajima midwest emo i jazz senzibiliteta. Prvi singl „Snivaš“ objavili su 2021. godine, nakon čega je usledio debitantski EP Ja umirem ovdje (2022), koji je privukao značajnu pažnju unutar hrvatske indie scene. Nekoliko godina kasnije, bend je samostalno snimio i objavio svoj prvi dugosvirajući album Čiji je ovo pas?, uz miks Anje Tkalec i Duge Bavoljak, te mastering Uroša Mikića iz Down There Studiosa.
Dok je Ja umirem ovdje samo nagoveštavao pravac u kom se Kaleido kreće, Čiji je ovo pas? predstavlja potpuno zaokruženu viziju benda. Kroz osam pesama, Kaleido izoštrava svoj autorski izraz i okuplja ideje oko labave, ali uporne slike - psa - kao suptilne metafore unutrašnje tenzije, tihe iscrpljenosti i osećaja stalnog posmatranja samog sebe sa distance.
Spajajući indie rock sa primesama midwest ema, suzdržane post-punk dinamike i nenametljivih jazz tekstura, album se razvija strpljivo. Prednost daje atmosferi nad neposrednošću i introspekciji nad deklaracijom, postepeno gradeći emotivnu težinu umesto da forsira katarzu.
My oh my, so much has passed this year. So many amazing releases it's been pretty difficult to choose. For this year, i've compiled a list of releases that i really liked so far and wanted to share with you all.
