15. Momak za ispomoć – Sijenke
Sijenke is a band from Podgorica, Montenegro, with their sophomore record, Momak za Ispomoć, released in April 2025. The record is entirely handled in-house: music, lyrics, recording, and arrangements by Marko Todorović and Radovan Raičević, with mixing by Todorović and Bojan Bojko, and mastering by Bojko. It’s a clean, self-contained project that wears its influences openly.
The album sits comfortably in the modern regional synthpop sphere, with clear new wave leanings and a strong 80s backbone. It’s accessible, melodic, and built around catchy repetition and atmosphere like counterparts Svemirko.
The opening track, Ko sam ja, establishes the glossy aesthetic early on with jagged new wave guitars cutting through 80s synths. It’s catchy and easy to listen to. Later tracks carry more vocal personality with a faint Haustor spirit in their warm, playful delivery.
It’s a solid synthpop album that builds on existing regional sounds rather than redefining them — pleasant and sun-kissed in its textures.
Full review coming soon…
Where to Find Them
- Instagram: @sijenke
- Bandcamp: listen & support on Bandcamp
14. 2018-2023 – Peach Pit
Zagreb-based instrumental trio Peach Pit return with 2018–2023, their first full-length album in over a decade. The record captures five years of creative output.
2018–2023 is tense, intricate, and slightly dystopian in mood. The guitar work moves fluidly between sludgy, grungy alt-rock textures and more delicate, almost emo-leaning passages, with these contrasts forming the backbone of the album’s math-rock identity. At times, the music leans into prog territory, with complex drum patterns and twisting guitar lines doing the narrative work usually left to vocals.
The album reinforces what Peach Pit does well: precise instrumental storytelling, with complex but controlled arrangements, and a sense of atmospheric tension.
Full review coming soon…
Where to Find Them
- Instagram: @peachpit_band
- Bandcamp: listen & support on Bandcamp
13. BETON KINO – Roj Osa meets Rob Mazurek
BETON KINO is the second album by Croatian experimental outfit Roj Osa. Released in November via Zagreb’s Kopaton Records, the project feels expansive, playing out like a fractured film reel with its raw textures, abstract IDM leanings, and cinematic tension. The record was stitched together by an international lineup that includes Rob Mazurek, whose presence looms heavily over the album’s restless and visionary atmosphere.
The opening track, Rustroot, throws you straight into the deep end, almost like a bad trip, with glitchy and distorted electronics. Free jazz and IDM shouldn’t coexist comfortably — and yet here they are, entangled and twitching together in a dystopian haze. It’s unsettling, disorienting, and strangely compelling.
BETON KINO is a strangely captivating record that fuses styles that feel fundamentally opposed: IDM, free jazz, post-rock, and electronic abstraction. Its apocalyptic atmosphere, cinematic soundscapes, and fearless experimentation make it hard to ignore and result in a brilliant listening experience.
Full review coming soon…
Where to Find Them
- Instagram: @roj_osa
- Bandcamp: listen & support on Bandcamp
12. Unending Confluence – Kamra
Ljubljana-based Kamra operates within the realm of atmospheric and dissonant black metal, but Unending Confluence avoids many of the genre’s more alienating tendencies. Across six tracks, the band lean into longer, progressive structures that allow tension and atmosphere to develop organically — a choice that works strongly in their favour.
The album’s emphasis on atmosphere, progression, and mood makes it an engaging listen. The drumming is consistently powerful, the vocals suitably feral, and the guitars strike a satisfying balance between satanic heaviness and eerie melody. Kamra succeeds in crafting a record that feels dark, dense, and immersive.
Full review coming soon…
Where to Find Them
- Instagram: @voices_of_kamra
- Bandcamp: listen & support on Bandcamp
11. Čiji je ovo pas? – kaleido
kaleido are a Zagreb-based indie-emo band operating firmly in the DIY tradition. Although “indie rock” is the easiest tag to apply, it doesn’t fully capture what’s happening here. The album blends Midwest emo warmth, post-punk restraint, light jazz elements, and fuzz-heavy guitar work into something that feels both fragile and raw. The trumpet and vocals add a distinctive texture that sets Čiji je ovo pas? apart from many genre-adjacent releases. If you’re drawn to the kind of alternative music associated with introspective American Midwest scenes of the late 90s and early 2000s, this will feel immediately familiar and comfortable.
Full review coming soon…
Where to Find Them
- Instagram: @kaleido_bend
- Bandcamp: listen & support on Bandcamp
10. O Sreći U Snovima – KOIKOI
O sreći u snovima is a solid and confident release. KOIKOI haven’t invented anything here, but they deliver a collection of tracks that successfully balance accessibility with occasional experimentation. There are moments where the album hints at something noisier, darker, and more daring, and it’s in those moments that KOIKOI feel most compelling. Still, even at its safest, this is a strong 2025 entry packed with memorable hooks and enough edge to keep things interesting.
Full review coming soon…
Where to Find Them
- Instagram: @koikoi_band
- Bandcamp: listen & support on Bandcamp
9. MOJE IME, MOJ DOM I MOJ TERET – Eva Ras
Moje Ime, Moj Dom i Moj Teret appears to be Eva Ras’s final statement. The project is a one-man screamo outlet by Belgrade artist Filip Stojiljković, beginning back in 2016, and what arrives here is a 30-minute blast of pure, unfiltered intensity. No breathing room, no easing in, no polite exits, as it sucker punches you at 100mph.
Far from an album for the faint-hearted — it’s aggressive, political, noisy, and intentionally claustrophobic. The references to Žižek, Chekhov, and Tarkovsky elevate the tracks beyond pure provocation, grounding the chaos in something thoughtful and deliberate.
Full review coming soon…
Where to Find Them
- Instagram: @evarasskramz
- Bandcamp: listen & support on Bandcamp
8. Sve isto kao svaki put do sad – Tidal Pull
Tidal Pull is an indie rock band from Zagreb, and Sve isto kao svaki put do sad is their third album. They open strongly with Na prvi pogled, a warm blend of Midwest emo and suburban post-punk. It’s comforting, melodic, and immediately accessible. The guitars are jangly without being abrasive, and the vocals sit nicely in the mix. It’s a great introduction to the album’s overall sound.
Throughout the record, the band moves comfortably between catchy indie rock and more restrained, nostalgic moments. Much like kaleido’s debut, this project succeeds in creating a warm and approachable record filled with bittersweet autumnal feelings. My only gripe is that it also sits at under 30 minutes…
Full review coming soon…
Where to Find Them
- Instagram: @tidal.pull
- Bandcamp: listen & support on Bandcamp
7. Fauna – Dunja Knebl
Fauna is a quietly enchanting folk album from Dunja Knebl. The project is built entirely around animals, which are accompanied by traditional Croatian folk pieces, arranged by Knebl and Roko Margeta in a contemporary setting. The result feels magical as we are treated to a wide palette of instruments from various world music traditions.
The arrangements are tasteful, Knebl’s voice is consistently beautiful, and the concept never feels forced as we move between feelings of vulnerability, endurance, beauty, and fear.
Full review coming soon…
Where to Find Them
- Instagram: @dunjaknebl
- Bandcamp: listen & support on Bandcamp
6. Sargassum aeterna – Manja Ristić
Manja Ristić is a Belgrade-born violinist, sound artist, and researcher whose work sits at the intersection of electro-acoustics, field recording, and experimental sound art. Sargassum aeterna, released via Rekem Records, presents four ambient compositions rooted in what has been described as “listening-as-speculation” — sound as a way of imagining futures rather than illustrating them.
The result is a sparse record that rewards focused listening while atmosphere and mystery are built through delicate restraint. The record represents a quietly unsettling and ominous meditation on a dystopian future already seeping through into our present day.
Full review coming soon…
Where to Find Them
- Instagram: @artar.veltemar
- Bandcamp: listen & support on Bandcamp
5. SIJAMSKI BLIZANAC – PLASTIKA
SIJAMSKI BLIZANAC is a short, explosive burst of female-fronted d-beat hardcore from Zagreb. Clocking in at barely 15 minutes, the album wastes no time in delivering raw, visceral punk energy, with each track hitting like a thunderclap. Every instrument is dialled up to maximum capacity, resulting in a perfect example of modern Balkan hardcore punk: short, fast, and relentless.
Full review coming soon…
Where to Find Them
- Instagram: @plastika.zghc
- Bandcamp: listen & support on Bandcamp
4. 5G – DINOSMASHERS
The album cover tells you everything you need to know before pressing play — 5G is loud, unhinged, and overflowing with satire. I stumbled across this one with zero context, barely any info online, and no expectations — and it blew me away…
Pumping synths and mind-numbingly repetitive hooks lock you into its rhythm straight away. It sits somewhere between synth-punk, new rave, and Fat Dog-style dance-floor hysteria, with lyrics that poke fun at conspiracies and modern paranoia. It’s not a million miles away from Viagra Boys in spirit, even if the sound itself goes in a more electronic direction.
All in all, it’s a refreshing and frantic blast of synth-punk energy from Croatia.
Full review coming soon…
Where to Find Them
- Instagram: @dinosmasherz
- Bandcamp: listen & support on Bandcamp
3. Haragma II – Exterior Palnet
Seven years in the making, Haragma II marks a major step forward for Zagreb-based black metal outfit Exterior Palnet. Their sophomore release expands on the dissonant foundations of Dorsia, pushing further into avant-garde territory while maintaining a strong sense of cohesion.
The tracks are dense, technical, and relentlessly chaotic. And yet beneath the wall of sound, you’ll find genuinely addictive guitar riffs, precise drumming, and growled vocals that feel truly apocalyptic. It’s an otherworldly and maniacal experience that has been meticulously crafted through complex arrangements and imaginative songwriting.
Full review coming soon…
Where to Find Them
- Bandcamp: listen & support on Bandcamp
2. Bura – Raphael Rogiński & Ružičnjak Tajni
Released by Instant Classic in June 2025, Bura is the outcome of Rogiński’s collaboration with the group Ružičniak Tajni, featuring Svetlana Spajić, Marina Džukljev, and Tijana Golubović. Recorded in Serbia in late 2024, the album draws from reconstructed traditional Serbian songs alongside Rogiński’s own compositions.
Bura is a carefully realised project that succeeds in creating a strong folkloric landscape. The production is clear and spacious, allowing each element to breathe, resulting in performances that feel delicate, atmospheric and incantatory.
Full review coming soon…
Where to Find Them
- Instagram: @raphael_roginski
- Bandcamp: listen & support on Bandcamp
1. In the Wind of Night, Hard-Fallen Incantations Whisper – Širom
Širom return with In the Wind of Night, Hard-Fallen Incantations Whisper, their fifth album and most fully realised statement to date. Following 2022’s The Liquified Throne of Simplicity, the Slovenian trio once again prove why they remain one of the most remarkable experimental folk projects in Europe.
In my opinion, Curls Upon the Neck, Ribs Upon the Mountain is the album’s emotional core. What begins as a mournful, melancholic folk meditation gradually mutates into something far darker and more dystopian. The violin work is delicately devastating, eventually giving way to grandiose textures that recall the tension-building crescendos of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. It’s frightening, beautiful, and utterly compelling, only getting better upon each subsequent listen.
In the Wind of Night, Hard-Fallen Incantations Whisper is a mesmerising listen — easily the strongest album of the year from the former Yugoslav region so far, and a genuine contender for album of the year on a global level. It’s fearless, uncompromising, and deeply moving. Širom continue to operate in a world entirely their own, and no one comes close to touching it.
Where to Find Them
- Instagram: @siromband
- Bandcamp: listen & support on Bandcamp
