Žudnja

Location: Novi Sad, Serbia

Year active: 2015 - 2018

Members: Marko (bass, vocals), Mladen (drums), Vuk (guitar, vocals)

Related bands: ????

FFO: Amanda Woodward, Belle Epoque, Mihai Edrische, Raein, With Engine Heart

Žudnja was a short-lived trio from Novi Sad. Somewhere in early 2015 they started performing, sharing stages with Eaglehaslanded, Muerto Rico and others. Months later they self-released their debut EP "Nervoza // Nekroza". They released a two-track EP 'Svemora' in 2018. There was no activity of the band afterwards.

Their music can be somewhat aligned with the European post-rock/screamo, especially French screamo. Their tracks are slightly lengthy (clocking around 4 minutes), progressive and flowing with emotion. The production of 'Nekroza//Nervoza' is lo-fi, raw and demo-like in design, while 'Svemora' is a lot more fresh and tighter.

Žudnja’s two EPs, Nervoza // Nekroza and Svemora, read like fragments of the same unease. Rather than direct statements, the band relies on metaphor and repetition to describe life under constant pressure... authority that feels arbitrary, work that leads nowhere, fear that slowly becomes routine. The lyrics circle around exhaustion, confusion, and the feeling of being shaped by forces that remain unnamed but ever-present.

While Nervoza // Nekroza leans toward inner collapse and psychological tension, Svemora shifts into stagnation and cyclical existence, movement without progress, history repeating itself without resolution. Taken together, these releases document a quiet but persistent anxiety, where understanding comes slowly, if at all, and silence sometimes feels like the only remaining form of control.

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Žudnja je bio kratkotrajan trio iz Novog Sada. Početkom 2015. godine započinju sa nastupima, deleći bine sa bendovima poput Eaglehaslanded, Muerto Rico i drugima. Nekoliko meseci kasnije samostalno objavljuju debitantski EP Nervoza // Nekroza. Godine 2018. izlazi još jedan EP sa dve pesme, Svemora. Nakon toga, bend više nije bio aktivan.

Njihova muzika može se svrstati u okvir evropskog post-hardcore/screamo zvuka, sa izraženim uticajem francuskog screama. Pesme su nešto duže (u proseku oko četiri minuta), progresivne i emotivno protočne. Produkcija Nervoza // Nekroza je lo-fi, sirova i demo-orijentisana, dok Svemora zvuči znatno svežije i zategnutije.

Dva EP-ja benda Žudnja, Nervoza // Nekroza i Svemora, deluju kao fragmenti iste nelagode. Umesto direktnih poruka, bend se oslanja na metaforu i ponavljanje kako bi opisao život pod konstantnim pritiskom... autoritet koji deluje proizvoljno, rad koji ne vodi nikuda, strah koji vremenom postaje rutina. Tekstovi kruže oko iscrpljenosti, konfuzije i osećaja da čoveka oblikuju sile koje ostaju neimenovane, ali stalno prisutne.

Dok se Nervoza // Nekroza više naginje unutrašnjem raspadu i psihološkoj tenziji, Svemora se pomera ka stagnaciji i cikličnom postojanju, kretanju bez napretka, istoriji koja se ponavlja bez razrešenja. Posmatrani zajedno, ovi radovi dokumentuju tihu, ali upornu anksioznost, u kojoj razumevanje dolazi sporo, ako uopšte dolazi, a tišina ponekad deluje kao jedini preostali oblik kontrole.

LEITMOTIF

Location: Skopje, North Macedonia   

Year active: 2013-2018

Members: Blagoj Damjanovski, Blagoja Kamchevski, Predrag Mladenovski

Related bands: Disclone, Disease, Nervous SS, Gargara, Gears, Мариналеда, Nova Generacija

FFO: Uzmi Ruke, Mono, Moonraker, Slint, Funeral Diner, Breakwater

Leitmotif were a short-lived trio from Skopje, North Macedonia around 2013.  They released their debut EP ‘Luminescence’ through Deny Records and Подземни Фреквенции and a split with a fellow post-rock band Khara, as well as some live recordings such as ‘Point First’ for Radio 103 and a recording session made for the Maximum Rocknroll fundraiser at Kula. 

The band eventually dissolved in 2018 and the members would eventually play in bands such as Disclone, Disease, Мариналеда and Nova Generacija, etc.

Leitmotif plays the slow-burn post-rock that resembles much of the post-rock/emo hybrid, much under the vein of Moonraker, Slint, Uzmi Ruke and a bit of Mono with ocassional shouting vocals. Despite their small discography, some of their songs can go well up to 10 minutes. The lyrics are not only minimalistic and cryptic but also completely heartfelt.

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Leitmotif je bio kratkotrajni trio iz Skoplja, Severna Makedonija, aktivan početkom 2010-ih. Debitantski EP Luminescence objavili su 2013. godine za Deny Records i Подземни Фреквенции, nakon čega je usledio split sa post-rock bendom Khara. Pored zvaničnih izdanja, bend je iza sebe ostavio i nekoliko zapaženih live i session snimaka, uključujući Point First za Radio 103, kao i live session snimljen u Kuli u sklopu Maximum Rocknroll fundraisera.

Bend se raspao 2018. godine. Nakon toga, članovi su nastavili da sviraju u različitim projektima, među kojima su Disclone, Disease, Мариналеда i Nova Generacija, između ostalih.

Muzički, Leitmotif je delovao unutar sporog, postepenog post-rock izraza koji se snažno oslanjao na preklapanje post-rocka i emo-a - često poređen sa bendovima poput Moonraker, Slint, Uzmi Ruke, a povremeno i sa Mono. Njihove kompozicije bile su uglavnom dugog formata i strpljivo građene, sa pojedinim numerama koje su prelazile i deset minuta, oslanjajući se na postepeno podizanje tenzije umesto trenutnog efekta. Vokali su bili retki i povremeno vrisnuti, korišćeni više kao emotivni lom nego kao narativni vodič.

Uprkos skromnoj diskografiji, Leitmotif je ostavio jasan trag. Tekstovi su bili minimalistički i zagonetni, ali nikada ornamentalni - funkcionisali su pre kao fragmenti osećanja nego kao jasne poruke, dodatno naglašavajući fokus benda na atmosferu, uzdržanost i emotivnu težinu, ispred jasnoće ili razrešenja.

BANDCAMP

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.

Uzmi Ruke

Location: Varaždin, Croatia

Year active: 2001-2002

Members: Tomislav Pintarić, Krešo Žerjav, Ištvan & ????

Related bands: Britney's Pierce, Clean, Dead Dog Summer, Directed Crew, The Farewell Reason, Nikad, Ponor, Senata Fox

FFO: Slint, Toundra and Indian Summer (Promo demo).

Ashes, Friends Unseen, Everyone Asked About You (Unreleased demo).

One day, I came across this band on Discogs by accident. The release was submitted by Karmakumulator aka. the owner behind GuranjeSLitice label and is responsible for his YouTube channel archiving obscure Croatian underground music scene. Admittedly, he only has the artwork whose CDr was lost at the time, therefore rendering it hard to find. Like him, i too tried my hardest to dig through the depths of the internet. Luckily, one member of Punk U Jugoslaviji FB group was so kind to send me the three track demo and i was more than happy to put it up on my YT channel. Alternatively, a friend of mine gave me a bootleg mixtape containing several bands, including Uzmi Ruke at the end of one side.

Lo and behold, Uzmi Ruke (Take the hands), a really (and i mean REALLY) short-lived band from Varaždin. They play post-rock (with a hint of Slint) and emo (kinda like a southeastern european Indian Summer).

The Promo Demo opens with an untitled instrumental first track clocking around six minutes and we are finally introduced to pained and heartfelt male vocals on "Udahni" for 4 minutes and "Merrin". The last track feels longer (seven minutes) than the first two and is minimal in terms of vocal use while still being epic. It is also reminiscent of Toundra (who didn't exist yet back then) without metal elements.

S/T Demo (2002)

Stream here.

But i didn't find just that one. When i came across a rare live pic (with Tomislav visible) of an apparent band (with female lead singer not present on the 2002 demo) on last.fm, i had to contact the uploader who then went through great lengths in sending me 4 more tracks and believe me, this sounds different. Similar but different.

In this 4-track demo EP, it takes on a more-or-less typical emocore approach, in the vein of Ashes, Friends Unseen and pretty much the midwest emo that we're familiar with. Slow, emotional and heartfelt music accompanying raw but genuine female vocals. Best example being track 1 (which i'd call Probudi se [Wake Up]). The last three tracks are more of the same as the first one, but still true to the genre regardless.

Stream here.

So not only did i find one release by that band, but i also found another one, which sounded different. The question is, has Tomislav been in the band the entire time? Who knows, but maybe only he can answer the question and i'm more than glad to hear it.

Download here.