How Gloomy Artists In Southern Ukraine Are Responding To The War

Editor’s Note: It is two years since the full-scale invasion began in Ukraine (10 since the initial occupation) and in recent months it increasingly feels as if news from the war zone features less and less in international headlines. Over a series of pieces this year, we’re dedicating some of the budget from our supporters to commission guest articles by local music journalists who will allow us to hear stories of what life has been like for members of the music community.
To begin, we reached out to musician and journalist Kseniia Yanus who spoke to artists in the industrial and dark folk scenes. In this essay, which is filled with music recommendations, artists in some of the worst affected areas in the south of Ukraine discuss what surviving the occupation has been like.
If you like any of these tracks, please consider supporting the acts on Bandcamp (this article will be unlocked for free subscribers on Bandcamp Friday - May 3rd 2024).

Historically, the south of Ukraine has been rich in dark industrial music. Since the early 90s, numerous projects and labels have been thriving in the small towns and in the large cities in the south, with artists creating and releasing noise, industrial, and its sub-genres, such as dark folk.