LATEXFAUNA: beautiful punk with lime flavor

Kyiv: On Friday, September 22, the Ukrainian indie-pop band LATEXFAUNA presented a video for its song “Lime”. In a small and cozy hall of the Kyiv club “Monterrey” gathered about a hundred admirers of the group’s creativity, which recently brightly announced itself on both radio and YouTube. Their new creation once again emphasized the unique musical style, and the clip added visual impressions to the history of adult and extremely serious love. After the presentation LATEXFAUNA played a concert, in addition to “Laima” performed its most famous tracks. The correspondent of Front News International managed to get behind the scenes and communicate with the band members about their style, about the appearance on the radio, about the surzhik and about plans for recording a full-length album.

 

“We are five guys from Kyiv who just play their music” – this short phrase musicians indie pop group LATEXFAUNA characterizes themselves in Facebook. They have united not so long ago, but already managed to conquer the radio waves of the country and fall in love with the connoisseurs of a new generation of Ukrainian music. The leading motive of their creativity is to write music, as it is felt. Work for algortym, but for intuition. Not on trends, but on your own worldview. Recently they signed a contract with the label Moon Records, which is known for producing bands such as Boombox, Pianoboy, Scriabin, O.Torvald, Vivienne Mort and many others. Such a company requires you to approach your business with maximum ambition.

 

Their history began as in many other groups of beginners. Friendship in the institute, gay student life in the hostel, rehearsal bases, performances on stage before classmates. Music united vocalist Dmitry Zezyulin, guitarist Konstantin Levitsky and bass player Alexander Diman and did not let go during his studies at the Institute of Journalism of the Kiev National University. Shevchenko. However, in life unexpectedly burst the graduation from the university, working weekdays, which for five years delayed the appearance of LATEXFAUNA on the big stage. Already then the guys gathered again, supplemented their composition with keyboard player Alexander Mylnikov and drummer Maxim Grebn and started writing their own music.

 

“Yes, LATEXFAUNA made latex-faunal,” – concludes frontman Dmitry Zezyulin. In general, in songs, as in the language of a vocalist, vernaculars or so-called surzhik often skip. However, this he is completely not shy, turning this point into the zest of the group. “Where appropriate, it is appropriate there, where it is not appropriate – not appropriate. This is required by the song itself, the picture itself. Someone demands this nuance, tone, shade, and some do not need. Do not shove it where it does not shove, “Zezyulin explains. The band does have a few songs in pure Ukrainian, among which are the popular tracks “Helios” and “Ayahuasca”. However, the official Facebook page also communicates with subscribers on surzhik. The leader of the group says that one of them leads the public. “It’s only a secret. For this, one of us is responsible, and this one is gay, “says Zezulin, calling out the loud laughter of friends.

 

The style of LATEXFAUNA music is also very interesting. Many listeners say that the sound tends to indie-pop, but the band members call their style “beautiful punk”. At the same time, the songs are very similar to each other, for which the group also received portions of criticism. However, this does not convince the musicians, who are not yet going to diversify their own tunes. “If you think about it, it will most likely be plastic and far-fetched. All that is far-fetched – it is felt. Everything should be on feelings, not on some kind of ration. As soon as you turn on the diet, then everything falls down, “says Zezulin under the general approval of his colleagues. The main thing, in their opinion, is to get the right attitude and do what you like.

 

Even before the quota for songs appeared in Ukrainian on radio stations, one of the band’s first tracks, the “Surfer”, appeared in the rotation. However, LATEXFAUNA does not want to be known for only one song. For example, bass player Alexander Dyman would love to have the song “Aloe” played on the radio. “She’s so” awesome “, there’s such a cool atmosphere. We had a sketch and I listened to it for a couple of days in a row. I just really want to live in it. I think it’s a great song for the radio, “he said. All the others delicately confess their love for all their songs, although in some way “Lime” appears in one way or another – they will present a new video clip to this track.

 

“The meaning of this song can be interpreted as the love of old people or people whose feelings are verified by time. They already have “powerful love”, not the usual love “I tore you a flower,” and an adult is such as to know where the disc on the back flew, “admits Zezulin. About how this song arose among young people, he answers briefly – we do not pretend to “cleverness”, it’s just a picture. Meanwhile, in the video, the director used surrealistic techniques and directed his plan to the masculine principle, to the “male creation”.

 

Nevertheless, “Lime” became the next single, which was released by the band LATEXFAUNA. “Musicians” do not want to “peel” albums. Like, long, boring, expensive, uninteresting. “We will always release singles, I guess. But then we will merge them into a medium. And, perhaps, probably soon, we will have a vinyl collection, “- the only thing the band members can promise. Nevertheless, even without traditional albums, LATEXFAUNA is invited to festivals and even foreign tours. The guys say that they will probably go to Germany and Belarus.

 

Working in various positions, each of them thinks that one day a hobby will be their main income for them. “A clip is a step towards this. Release on vinyl is a step to this. Increase your rating as an artist. These are all steps to cost more to earn more money. And then, perhaps, we will leave our small jobs, – the musicians are sure.

 

They do not pursue cheap glory, they go their own way in search of their own audience. It is easy and with a smile, with its shortcomings and peculiarities. And as it is sung in the song “Lime” – they are obviously “all eliminated”.

 

Interview by Vladislav Urubkov, Front News