Slovak artist MARS_999 (Juraj Péč) returns with the emotionally heavy single “EŠTE NIE SME STRATENÍ” which translates to “We’re Not Lost Yet”. The intro of the song grabs your attention with raw guitar tone and dark, industrial drums. It’s a gritty track that somehow feels fuzzy without losing its energy. Péč’s vocals cut through the sound with an emotional pain and strength. It’s an abrasive match of post-punk and electronic pop that somehow sounds so right. This is not a track to skip over. With every second of the song, he’s holding on to that last thread of energy, and it’s captivating to listen to.
Beyond the musicality of the song, it feels important and has such an intense immediacy to it. The pain is raw in his voice, as the song details being hurt, surviving and holding on in a shattered world. Lines like “Living with a mine in your head” and the title “We’re not lost yet” feel so painfully powerful in a world that feels like it’s burning. Péč even comments that this song dragged him out of his creative dormancy when he felt like he had nothing left to give. You can hear the truth in that. Beyond the raw emotion, the song’s production was mixed and mastered by top industry professionals in top studios, which really adds to both the despair and the “don’t give up yet” vibes. It’s a track you find yourself closing your eyes to and cranking up the volume on.
The video accompanying the single is another beautifully chaotic layer to the experience. Created by Péč using real photography and AI creation to loop images together in unique and bizarre ways. It doesn’t attempt to be pristine in the video, and it’s refreshing. It’s a little messy, a little off in some of the transitions, but it feels tangible. Similar to the sound, it has a message behind it instead of creating just a pretty production to sell. Péč isn’t playing into industry gimmicks or anything like that. He’s simply showing us a piece of his soul while at the same time sounding like someone that everyone can relate to. “EŠTE NIE SME STRATENÍ” will stand the test of time and sound as an important record that is not to be missed.
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