In August 2022, we interviewed radical Ukrainian band Cios. “We come from Ukraine, from the small town of Khmelnytskyi. In our band we have Punkrat, Dima, Vlad on guitar/vocals, bass, drums respectively. We started in 2011 and last year we celebrated our 10th anniversary. We play punk music and call it streetpunk,” they explained. To mark the release of their new album ’24.02.22’, a remarkable success, the band kindly agreed to answer our questions.
You’ve just released your new album “24.02.22”. That’s quite an wonderful achievement. It’s obvious from the photo on the album that your work is marked by war. Can you tell us how you managed to release this album in the conditions in Ukraine today? How did you manage to record the songs and get the album made?
It was a new experience. Much part of the album was recorded during a period of constant blackouts. When the Russian missile strikes were happen to the energy infrastructure, there were emergency and planned power outages in all cities. We had to conform and constantly reschedule the record. To the neighboring territory, where the studio and our rehearsal space are located, where we recorded the album. During this period, about 10 rockets arrived. The premises and equipment were not damaged, but the windows flew out frequently and the electricity went out. Which also made adjustments to the process. But when we conceived the album, we understood that there was a war around us, so we didn’t build precise plans and were ready to act flexibly and improvise
Can you tell us some words about the songs on this album (Empire, Stigma, War inner fear, Hero, Kargo cult, We will not give up !, When The Sky Turns Red, When there are weapons, When You Have A Gun?) What does the song “24.02.22” say ?
24.02.22 is the first song after the start of a full-scale war. It is very chaotic and it is rather a listing of impressions and emotions that many saw and experienced in the early days. There is no special morality or conclusions there. Empire - about the thirst for historical justice, the collapse of the empire and the desire to see its leaders “à la lanterne”. Obviously, the song is about the Russian Federation, but it also applies to other empires. Stigma is about forced emigration and xenophobia. Particularly within the country. We had a lot of this at the beginning of the war. There were conflicts between people from the east of Ukraine and residents of the western regions. War inner fears is just a list of all sorts of terrible pictures from the war. Some were seen by our own eyes, some from the friends stories. And with a chorus that people will hardly ever be able to forget it. Hero is not a song about heroes, as the title might suggest, but quite the opposite. About hypocrites who are far away out the frontline or from emigration, from their homes, cafes and offices, shout about total war, and about the need not to spare their lives. But for greater effect, it is made as an appeal to the military, who is pushed to his death, and after returning home, everyone forgets about him. Cargo cult - we have a lot of people who believe that Ukraine will become a full member of the EU, live like France or at least like Poland. And for this you need to do everything that the EU and Western partners would say. We believe that this is blind faith and a cargo cult. In reality, it doesn’t work this way. We will not give up! - the song was written for the previous album, and was prepared for the band’s 10th anniversary. Then we didn’t finish it. And now we decided to insert because it corresponds to the theme of the album although the focus has shifted a little bit.
When The Sky Turns Red – The song is kind of motivational. It talks about the problems that people faced in the first month of the war, about how intelligent people began to think not with their brains, but with a TV. About the fact that no matter what the circumstances, you should always be true to yourself, your ideas and principles. Also about the fact that you don’t need to make yourself a “victim of war” while you still have the opportunity to help not only yourself, but also people.
When You Have A Gun is a cover song written by The Clash. The song is made with a literary translation and the meaning is slightly changed. It is about the personal possession of weapons, about the responsibility of the one who possesses them and about the responsibility to those who possess them. We made this song on our 3rd album. But now we decided to remake it a little and perform it again, because due to the situation it has become relevant and has a little different scale.
And in what language do you sing?
On this album, our songs are mostly in Ukrainian. Also we added one song in English as an experiment. There is one song in the regional dialect of Ukrainian. And a few songs in Russian, which is why many cultural figures ignore us or criticize us. We do not consider ourselves cultural figures, and we speak and sing in the languages spoken in our society by ordinary people.
Will you be doing any concerts?
Now we are trying to get several concerts in Ukraine and play charity concerts where possible. No concerts have been confirmed yet. We cannot travel abroad due to martial law in the country. This option was available to some cultural figures for charity concerts. But now the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine (you should have an association with Orwell with these words), has closed this opportunity for them too.
Finally, since last August when we spoke, what has happened in the lives of the band members? Last year, you told us ““War is in full swing and meatgrinder is only gaining”. And today ?
Today “full swing and meatgrinder” is kept at a stable level, with some bursts. The war is going on, missile attacks are taking place almost every day, people are dying every day, the front has stabilized. People learn to live with it. What used to be frightening, later turned into an anxiety disorder, and then became a stable condition that few people pay attention to. All members of the group are alive and well. Thank you!
To discover “24.02.22
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/album/2mMZyUEE5QwSHuf36aq56n?si=zfgc6Oz1TymAvzha2AKVcQ
Bandcamp – https://cios.bandcamp.com/album/240222
Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLruT-pO9e3xGeMqY5orW8zEopFQ216dt6