CIOS (UA)
Punkrat: We’re based in the west - no active battles here, but cruise missiles and drones still hit from time to time. When we were recording our previous album during the colder months, Russia was targeting energy infrastructure to cause maximum damage. Strikes shattered windows and walls in the studio. Blackouts lasted for weeks, and noisy petrol generators ruined the sound. We had to improvise to keep going. This time, recording in the summer went more smoothly. We fully equipped our studio - there aren’t any windows left to break, and by now, we’ve gained some experience. Occasionally, citywide lockdowns by military recruitment officers caused issues, but overall, it went relatively calmly.
Are there currently concerts in Ukraine or is cultural life at a complete standstill?
Punkrat: Concerts (even large festivals) are held away from the front line, usually to raise money for the army. But events are becoming rarer as many people go to the front, get injured, or don’t return. Poverty, involuntary conscription, and closed borders are choking cultural life. Still, DIY shows happen near the front too. Our last gig was in Kharkiv, 30 km from the fighting. The city is under constant shelling and airstrikes.
In the info about the album there is the sentence „Human life loses all value in war“. Is this sentence ultimately the summary behind everything the album title promises?
Punkrat: The album is more about the degradation of society - its slide into totalitarianism and primal instincts. But in a way, it’s also about the loses of human life. We never really believed all that talk. Of course it’s a lie. Sometimes it’s just ignorance, other times - pure, calculated hypocrisy. We wouldn’t wish this on anyone - but don’t walk around wearing rose-colored glasses either. Evil can be a lot closer than it seems, stay alert and keep your finger on the pulse!
Release date: 2nd of July, 2025
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