Van Gogh’s self-titled debut came out in 1986, recorded by the band’s first lineup: Đule on guitar, Srba on drums, Đorđe Petrović on keys, Goran Milisavljević on vocals, and Predrag Popović on bass.
That EKV influence is everywhere. Not just in tone, but in structure: the gothic edges of early Katarina II, the melodic sensibility of later EKV, and bits of jangle pop, new wave, and pop rock placed on top. The issue is that Van Gogh shifts styles too much from track to track, rather than album to album — instead of a clear direction, you get a debut full of promising ideas that never settle into something distinct.
Starting, we have Menjam Se, which is a decent 80s jangle-pop/new wave hybrid with goth-leaning synths. Light, catchy, and very of its time, with vocals heavily reminiscent of Milan Mladenović. Noćno Nebo is similar in this sense, also consisting of jangle pop elements, some synth gloss, but sadly never fully coming together. The build-up goes somewhere less interesting than it promises.
Gloria is a stronger moment — tense, atmospheric post-punk with a gothic edge and a more punk-leaning tempo. With a strong chorus and good energy, it feels like the album’s “city at night” track. Za Kim Zvona Zvone, the final track on the album, also offers a minimal, dark, vocal-focused side of the band. The band is strong at creating darker atmospheres, but they can forget to build into something, in this case, leaving an anticlimactic finish.
Kako Zove Se fully leans into the New Romantic movement and offers a high point on the record. Think Duran Duran by way of Belgrade instead of Birmingham: angular guitars, flamboyant synths, bouncy basslines. It’s a really fun track, even if slightly derivative.
Tragovi Prošlosti is a strange mix — the gothic/post-punk foundation is strong, but the pop-rock additions flatten it. Catchy, yes, but it feels like a missed opportunity. You can hear the potential, but they don’t lean into the darker sound enough. Tvoj Smeh is another synth-driven pop-punk/post-punk crossover with some exciting ideas. But the production is rough, and the hard-rock-style guitars sit strangely in the mix — catchy but uneven.
Other tracks on the album feel very EKV-coded, an example being Znam, which lacks depth and feels more like an imitation. Tiho Hodam takes us back to the atmosphere and slow gothic build-up. Breaks into an experimental post-punk shriek that almost recalls early EKV and the final track on their debut, I’ve Always Loved You.
As a debut, Van Gogh is a classic 80s Ex-YU case: a band with talent, clear influences, and plenty of ideas. But instead of carving out a sound, they move between EKV-style goth rock, new wave, jangle pop, synthpop, and pop rock without committing to any of them. When they go darker or more atmospheric, the music clicks. When they move toward pop rock, the songs feel thinner and more generic.
There are solid tracks here, and it’s absolutely a listenable 80s rock record, but it’s not a lost masterpiece, and it certainly doesn’t justify the absurd Discogs prices. A decent, uneven debut from a band still figuring out who they were.
