By Keith Walsh

There’s no such thing as “getting used to” Slovenian rock band Suzi soprano. From the intentional lowercase on their name’s second word, to the use of verboten concepts and insistence on singing in Slovenian (how dare they!)  this is a band that demands you take them on their own terms. Take their new video single “Kadaver” for example. Despite the shocking title, it’s a song about grief, that also takes aim at the narcissism found in Western Culture, in lyrics made all the more effective because they’re sung in Slovenian.  (Please see the English translation below.)

Enej Mavsar is the guitarist, writer and producer for the band. In an email from Wednesday he wrote: “‘Kadaver’ is the first single from an upcoming four track album. It will also include songs ‘Volt,’ ‘Abalar’ & ‘Chem Trail Koktejl’ and will be published one by one on the web in next few weeks.”

The good news:  we’re getting new music from this abrasively melodic band. The bad news is it’s only four songs, but at least there’s a video planned for two more. Mavsar continues: “Two songs are mixed by Janzej Marinč. Two songs by me. I decided to do only four songs because i just can’t do more at the moment. I am also editing the next video for the song ‘Volt’ and will shoot another video for a song ‘Abalar’”.

The live music scene in Slovenia is still tentative about opening up, though as Mavsar reports:“Slovenia announced the end of the epidemic a week ago, (but it’s because they don’t want to pay support for people in June.) They are scaring people with another wave.”

Mavsar also wrote that he will be meeting with one of his other bands,  Body Says No, this week. Still, the challenges of the pandemic are still on people’s minds there, as everywhere. “People here have enough of this sh#t I think,” he writes. “Each Friday there are ‘Bike’ protests in Ljubljana where people gather on bikes, more than 12.000 last Friday against the government,” Mavsar said. Here’s a video from May 1^st that Mavsar shared with me. At least it’s peaceful, and most are wearing masks.

Despite this peaceful unrest, Mavsar implies that at least in Slovenia there is some realization that the government had a positive role in reducing the impact of COVID-19. Mavsar writes:  “I read a column by one writer she wrote: ‘In Slovenia we are doing great, thanks to our heritage from Socialism. Good social and health care.’ It’s so true.”

“KADAVER” English translation. By Enej Mavsar.

finis