Latvian alt-rock three-piece Bēdu Brāļi have unleashed their propulsive new single ‘Ikdienas-dzive’ (‘Daily Life’).
The track is the first to be lifted from their highly-anticipated second album, Lauskas, which is slated for release on vinyl and DSP’s, through the fiercely independent I Love You Records (Super Besse, Zidruns, Ewert and the Dragons). Date TBA.
The single comes with the band’s first music video in earnest and it’s an ambitious, cinematic affair, where you see them living out their perverse daydream of sabotaging their day jobs, in the most chaotic fashion.
Of the single’s overarching theme, singer/guitarist Oskars Tu says:
“I started to feel like I was turning evil from the monotony of work. I couldn’t put the previous day behind me and start afresh. All the bullshit that had happened a day ago… a week ago… a month ago… it all built up. I felt bitter. I think I’m not alone in feeling that.”
This single, which is Bēdu Brāļi’s darkest and most exhilarating cut to-date, is their first release since their acclaimed debut album Duende in 2022. Duende was awarded best rock/metal album at the most valuable music award ceremony in Latvia, Zelta Microfone.
With their stylistically heightened sound, which draws from left-field subgenres of indie and alternative rock – including shoegaze, psychedelic rock and post-punk – Bēdu Brāļi have concocted something truly idiosyncratic.
And they’re incredible live. On stage, the band deploy a rich array of effects and powerful dual-stack amps for the lead guitar. The result is an immersive wall-of-sound that feeds the propulsive drums and fuzz-drenched bass, as alluring, hypnotic vocals in Latvian invite close listening.
All this has led to them becoming one of the most esteemed bands on the underexplored yet vibrant DIY scene in the Latvian capital, Riga.
Bēdu Brāļi was formed by Oskars Tu (Vocals / Guitar) Jānis Liepiņš (Bass) and Pēteris Ozols (Drums) in Riga in 2012 over a shared fondness for the Latvian independent music scene of the mid-00s. The likes of Zidruns, In.Stora and Bērnības Milicija had a profound impact in inspiring them to form a band.
The band’s signing to I Love You Records in 2024 comes after the band self-released their debut EP in 2012 and their debut album in 2022. Signing to a label which places artistic freedom at the forefront, means their irreverence and self-sufficient DNA stands to remain in-tact. Ambitiously, they don’t employ third-party engineers or producers so all their music is recorded at a studio that they built for themselves, with drummer Pēteris Ozols taking on engineering and mixing duties, and they’re making all the right noises.
With the catalogue behind them, and the album to come, Bēdu Brāļi truly stand to make an indelible impact on Latvian music and also have the power to transcend borders and light up the wider scene.