On Kosogor, Kosaya Gora embrace a spirit of curiosity and with no specific plan, the two took inspiration from all over during its sessions, likening their process to that of Gray, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Michael Holman’s experimental band of non-professional musicians and artists. As a result, Kosogor contains echoes of ‘60s psych folk, underground rock, country, DIY and experimental electronica tapes, trip hop, dub, and more which all meld together in their latest single “Tell Me Dove”.

Though these touchpoints may be new to fans of both artists’ solo work, they’re deeply familiar to Kosaya Gora – the new indie / experimental project of acclaimed producer/singer Kedr Livanskiy and producer/visual artist Flaty. These are the sounds and echoes of their youth spent traversing Russia’s underground music scenes. It makes sense, then, that a free-spirited approach to music-making would naturally resurface these familiar sounds. 

The collaboration is an entirely new sonic direction for them both. The debut is a multilingual foray into guitar-based folk, haunting dream pop, and moody synth, underpinned by Livanskiy’s signature hypnotic vocals.

The two recorded Kosogor in a mobile studio which they took through remote villages in their native Russia. “In one place, there was nothing but a forest, a cemetery and [a] ruined church,” Livanskiy remembers. “The wooden house we lived in was 120 years old, and this spirit is imprinted in some songs.” 

The resulting album is fittingly expansive and like both artists’ solo work, the music of Kosaya Gora resists categorization. Kosogor brings together seemingly incompatible elements into a polished whole. This delicate tension is by design: Livanskiy describes the mood of the album as “on the one hand, foggy and gloomy, and on the other hand, light.” Channeling both the vibrant sounds of their city-dwelling youths and the more ancient atmosphere of the forests and small towns they traversed in their mobile studio, Kosogor is an enchanting debut from a group that, though brand new, feels oddly timeless. 

Kosogor sees its release via 2MR on March 17. Pre-order it here / Pre-save it here.

Photo Courtesy: Anastasiya Pozhidaeva