Kalemegdan Disk - ROCK FROM EASTERN EUROPE

Tracklist

Side A

1. Moja glava, moja pravila 4:27
2. Danas nisam svoj 3:14
3. Kad padne mrak 3:00
4. Bogati će pobjeći na Mars 4:01
5. Pustit ću glas 3:15
6. Ti i ja, nekada 4:03

Side B

1. Otkad te ne viđam često 3:32
2. Sad kad znaš 3:43
3. Sati 4:32
4. Ti 4:27
5. Kad si sam 4:09
6. Kud idemo mi 3:58

Full album at YouTube

Croatia Records Release Information

As they celebrate 50 years of activity, Parni Valjak (Steam Roller), one of the longest-running bands in the Yugoslavian region, are releasing a new studio album entitled “Kažu pčele umiru…” (They Say the Bees Are Dying...).

The new album for Parni Valjak is also the first studio release in the new chapter with the singer Igor Drvenkar, and through the songs and sound, it is clear that this is a release that combines experience, new camaraderie, and the band’s recognisable, distinctive songwriting style, a band that has defined generations with its music.

The album’s title is taken from the previously released single “Pustit ću glas” (I Will Raise My Voice), which Husein “Hus” Hasanefedić, the writer of all the songs on the release, describes as his own response to the times we live in: “Sometimes I feel that not enough of what is happening, both locally and globally, is taken seriously, and that is my commentary on the period we are living in. However, the entire album is not imbued with that theme, of course.”

The creation of the new songs was intuitive, and Hus has once again remained true to his process: words that flow like a “stream of consciousness”, melodies that appear before he even tries to explain them, and that elusive energy which, as he says, only comes into being when a song passes through the band’s consensus and chemistry.

It was from this very process that almost the entire album emerged – 12 new songs, written over the past three years, at a time when the band was turning towards its new chapter. All songs are written by Hus, including the noted singles “Moja glava, moja pravila” (My Head, My Rules), “Sad kad znaš” (Now that You Know) and “Bogati će pobjeći na Mars” (The Rich Will Escape to Mars), while “Otkad te ne viđam često” (Since I Haven’t Seen You often) features music by Marijan “Brk” Brkić, who is also credited with recording, mixing and producing. The album’s visual identity was created by Igor Jurilj and Tomislav Vranić.

Although this is the first album to come from the band’s new chapter, the presence of their original singer Aleksandar “Aki” Rahimovski, who died in January 2022, runs through every step of its creation, something Hus speaks about openly: “In the process of creating the album, Aki was very much on my mind, and when I touched upon the songs he was supposed to sing, or for which there are demo recordings with him, I would enter a very uncomfortable state that was difficult for me. But I am sure that in every song on the album, there’s a line or two that’s intended for him or has some connection to him.”

Despite the passage of time, Aki remains a part of of every band gathering – both on stage and off. “Not enough time has passed for Aki to fade from our thoughts… There isn’t a rehearsal or a gig where someone doesn’t remember some prank or something that happened involving him,” says Hus, describing him as the friend and brother he shared 46 years of life with: “I will forever miss that friendly moment we had – I am sad because he isn’t here as a person, as a friend with whom I was, for so many years, like a brother in so many ways. It’s impossible for him to just disappear, especially as a person like the one he was.”

Reflecting on their new chapter, the band highlights how Igor Drvenkar’s arrival brought a new vibe: “Igor is a fantastic character and it’s a real stroke of luck that he somehow found his way to us...”, they reveal without hesitation, adding: “With his arrival, we turned a corner into this new chapter we have been in for the past two years.” He brought us his incredibly good vibrations, and together with him, we embarked on this new direction, during which the new album was created. His voice and energy have become part of Parni Valjak’s current identity, and the new album is the first complete reflection of that.

“Kažu pčele umiru…” (They Say the Bees Are Dying...) is part of this very new chapter for one of the longest-running bands in the Yugoslavian region, and it represents a document of an unexpected phase and change. “The best thing I can say about the album is that I would be glad for people to listen and then draw their own conclusions about what we have actually done”, concludes Hus.