“Stranger Times” by Life on Venus

It’s been a couple of years since we last heard from the Moscow-based shoegazers in Life on Venus, and three years since their last full-length, 2019’s Odes to the Void. A lot has changed in the ensuing years, though. For starters, the band is now a trio: guitarist Oleg Kopytin, drummer Gulya Tukshaitova, and bassist/vocalist Dmitry Kostryukov. But more importantly, their homeland has become embroiled in a war of its own making, impacting lives around the world.

Back in March, the band posted the following on Instagram: “You all know the situation damn well and you know as well that we’re not politicians and not soldiers… the only thing we know for sure is that we want to spread love and peace across the world with our music.” Well here we are, several months later, and the trio have released a new single titled “Stranger Times.”

Lyrics like “Stranger days, stranger times/Don’t believe in any lies” and “Like the stars, like the dust, we will burst and scatter/Further and further away” certainly tap in the current zeitgeist, as do the trio’s distorted guitars, crashing drums, and yearning vocals. Obviously, a shoegaze song won’t bring about world peace no matter how blissed out it might be, but I’m glad to see artists like Life on Venus that keep serving as little lights in the midst of the darkness.

In addition to “Stranger Times,” Life on Venus have also announced a new album titled Homewards that will be released later this year.