More Ukrainian music: new tracks worth listening to

Despite the full-scale invasion of Russia, Ukrainian culture is developing with even more inspiration - new songs and music videos are released every month that make Ukrainians proud. SLUH, a Ukrainian music and culture media, has compiled new tracks for Svidomi, which are worth adding to your playlist even if you don't understand Ukrainian.

Hanna Polska — Dura  

Sasha Hanapolskaya and Tember Blanche wrote this short and minimalist song after she saw an offensive comment about her appearance posted below an interview with the duo. Dura (Fool) sounds bolder and more playful than Tember Blanche's songs, yet the sound production work of Vlad Lahoda is evident.

Zlypni — Liubyty Svityty Davaty  

Zlypni can play merry psychedelic rock and recite mystical hip-hop about a drug trip. Liubyty Svityty Davaty (Love Shine Give) turned out to be more frank and cooler than many Ukrainian rappers.

Pokruch — Ruky  

The Ukrainian supergroup Pokruch, consisting of members of TOL, Vivienne Mort and MegamasS, regularly releases an exquisite virtuoso composition once a year, after which fans ask even more intensely: "When is the full album coming out?!". The new song Ruky (Hands) is no exception.

The Unsleeping — Kholodno  

Don't believe these Kyiv-based guys from Uman! Their new song Kholodno (Cold) is not cold at all but filled with warm Deftones-like guitar riffs and evokes associations with alternative, shoegaze-inspired music.  The only thing holding The Unsleeping back from the top Ukrainian rock band title is the lack of a full-length album with similar Ukrainian-language songs.

Renie Cares — Khvyliamy  

Renie Cares' songs usually give you goosebumps with their gloomy atmosphere and really dark lyrics about personal matters. But this time, the seemingly carefree and naive music in the song Khvyliamy (In Waves) contrasts sharply with the lyrics about the absurdity of nuclear weapons. It sounds like a painful and disturbing hope for a happy future.

Skazhy Shchos Pohane — Refleksiia 

The first full-length album from Skazhy Shchos Pohane is the event for the young Ukrainian stage. Refleksiia (Reflection) hooks with good songwriting — short, catchy tunes are built around tenacious bass riffs, and Arthur's lusty vocal melodies get stuck in your brain right after listening.

mertvi dereva — Chorna Rillia (EP)  

Andrii Pechatkin from White Ward and Signals Feed The Void launched a solo project. This hard and intense music seems to have no boundaries, but the EP Chorna Rillia (Black Arable Land) can be called industrial hip-hop with noise experiments. The musician recites on the topics of inferiority, language, war, and religion, interspersing it with shrieks (a kind of scream in black metal) - it turns out to be scary and mentally difficult.

Roma Mike — New Era  

Roma Mike's second studio album is filled with warm nostalgia, childhood memories and sincere self-reflection. All of this is wrapped in a refined, relaxed sound of slow beats that sound especially elegant together with guitar and keyboard parts. It's the perfect album for cosy summer evenings which you want to spend alone with unobtrusive tunes.

Volodymyr Dantes — Kyty  

The first Ukrainian-language album by Dantes surprises with a variety of moods. In Kyty (Whales), you have carefree positivity, pure aggression, and naive love. Listening to the artist's new work is interesting because you don't know what to expect in the next composition.

Schmalgauzen — Tvii Vil del.1  

Listening to Schmalgauzen's debut EP, Tvii Vil del.1 (Your Vil del.1) is like drinking a glass of wine in one go and getting drunk too quickly. An excellent theatrical art rock heavily influenced by cabaret, which impresses with the artistic approach of the duo of vocalists Vlad Mykhalchuk and Mykhailo Matiukhin and inventive, dynamic, sweet music.

Palindrom — Saudade  

Stepan Burban plays the role of a wedding cameraman in the video for the song from his forthcoming album Naikrashchi Pytannia Sobi (The Best Questions to Ask Yourself). And while in the video, Palindrom tries on a self-ironic and kitschy role (among several others), the music and lyrics are an almost postmodern layering of the artist's diverse influences and ideas.  The aggressive Kashliaiuchyi Ed, the nostalgic pop singer Stepan Petrovych, the gloomy, acutely social Palindrom, who loves black metal…

TVORCHI — I Can't Stop  

TVORCHI shared a groovy song and a bright video for it. Light and pleasant summer vibes, stylish and refined images, but too short to enjoy this truly magical track.

Luci — Ostannii Roman  

The Ukrainian musician has released her first song in a year. In addition to the light and sincere composition, Ostannii Roman (The Last Romance), Luci shared a dreamy video — simplicity and elegance in every shot.

Mia Ramari — Ne Dyvys Na Mene 

A poetic, sensual song accompanied by a gentle piano sounds incredible. Ne Dyvys Na Mene (Don't Look at Me) is a painful but frank composition about a difficult relationship with oneself. The barely noticeable tear in the voice and the unexpected self-doubt are heartbreaking, but the song inspires you to start loving yourself.

Nazva, KRUTЬ — Na Dno 

We have three requests for the band Nazva: firstly, give Andrii Sahan an extra prize for this great video with Wes Anderson's vibe, and secondly, write more catchy refrains like in Na Dno (Down To The Bottom). Thirdly, tell Maryna Krut that she does know how to write carefree and effortlessly!