Smetana band

Smetana band

Year of foundation – 2013

City – Dnipro (Ukraine)

Language – Ukrainian

Genre – punk rock, pop punk, alternative rock, alternative metal

Lineup:

Yegor Kuvaldin (vocals);
Sergiy Savochkin, Sava (guitar);
Olexandr Sadunenko, Kompoz (bass guitar);
Sergiy Sverhun, Syorik (drums).

History of the band

Smetana band is a Ukrainian rock band from the city of Dnipro. The band was formed in 2013 by Yegor Kuvaldin and Sergiy Savochkin. Yegor became the leader and vocalist of the band. The band's founders said that the band initially emerged as a humorous project. The artists created songs that did not fit into the format of the main metal band All is illusion. So they decided to implement new ideas separately. It was from such experiments that the band's first album was formed.

The discographic debut was presented with tracks written even before the band's official launch. Later, Serhiy Sverhun (in 2013) and Oleksandr Sadunenko (in 2014) joined the band.

Regarding the name, the guys said: they simply decided to choose something strange and eccentric. Sava suggested the word "smetana". That's how Smetana band was born.

Creative path

The band gained its first popularity among the listening audience thanks to the video clip for the song "Best Friend". Initially, the band's work, in particular the first four albums, had a distinctly ironic character. Smetana band gave fans rock with humorous overtones. The songs raised topical everyday topics and ridiculed fashion trends. In addition to posting official videos, the group also ran a satirical music section on its YouTube channel.

Smetana band gained wide recognition and prospects for performing on festival stages in 2017. The release of their fifth album, “Everything is Very Bad,” was a success. The songs “Vokha and Lyokha” and “Konstruktory,” along with their video clips, became hits. Since then, large-scale tours have begun. In support of the album, the band has held concerts in more than 40 cities.

Style and development of the band

After the release of their fifth album, Smetana band set out to reduce humorous video content. The musicians focused on music videos and improving the sound. In February 2019, the band presented their sixth studio album entitled “Hangover”. From that moment on, the band’s work noticeably changes style. Ironic rock gives way to alternative and punk rock with deeper and more serious lyrics. The musicians themselves described the new direction as “sad punk”. In the same year, the band’s fans received a new single “Okulyary-serdechka”. The track became one of the most famous in the Smetana band’s work.

On September 10, 2020, the seventh album entitled “Pogani manery” was released. Despite the complete lack of attention from the media, the release provided the band with another surge in popularity. The album entered the Apple Music and Deezer charts.

Creativity during the war

After the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, the band completely switched to the Ukrainian language. Smetana band released the song "A Moment of Silence", dedicated to the memory of those who died in the war.

In August 2023, the band's first Ukrainian-language album, entitled "Gloomy", was released. On the eve of the release, the band's leader Yegor Kuvaldin addressed fans with a video message. The musician announced a conditional reboot for Smetana band. Kuvaldin emphasized that the new album was the most difficult for the band in every sense. The frontman called the release the most mature in the entire existence of the band.

The album "Gloomy" included 12 songs with a total duration of over 46 minutes. This time, melancholic motifs were woven into the band's usual love theme and major sound. Thus, the musicians reflected the emotions and anxieties experienced by ordinary Ukrainians against the backdrop of war events. At the same time, the sound also reflects the influence of the current musical trend - nostalgia for the aesthetics of the late 90s - early 2000s. Some of the album's tracks were previously presented in the format of singles and video clips. In particular, the works "Glass", "Don't Fall in Love", "Changes" and "A Moment of Silence".

Social Activity

With the outbreak of full-scale hostilities in Ukraine, Smetana band announced a series of charity performances in favor of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Live performances, which raise funds for the needs of the army, take place in the band's hometown of Dnipro and in other parts of the country. On its own website, the band posted an appeal to the bank for savings to close the requests of our defenders.