Kuunatic + Oswaldovi

On Sunday, June 12, Underdogs' will host a psychedelic rock feast – Tokyo trio Kuunatic will share the stage with Prague-based outfit Oswaldovi.

Kuunatic is a thrilling Tokyo based tribal-psych trio bolstered by diverse global sonics and powerful female vocals. Drawing on the members’ different musical and cultural perspectives, their music explores ritual drumming, pulsing bass lines, atmospheric keyboard sounds and Japanese traditional instruments. Having previously released an EP (Kuurandia / 2017) as well as a split 7” (with Taiwanese fuzz psych garage band Crocodelia), Gate of Klüna, Kuunatic’s much awaited debut album, is now out via Glitterbeat Records. Produced by Tim DeWit (Gang Gang Dance) the record reveals a mesmerizing soundworld that transcends genres and hemispheres and succeeds in being both boldly experimental and wildly catchy.

In interviews the band have cited that their name is drawn from kuu, the Finnish word for the moon; inspired in part by original Finnish guitarist, Sanni. Keyboardist Fumie helps guide the uninitiated. Kuunatic’s musical concept is a fantasy. Our first EP’s title ‘Kuurandia’ is the name of the fantasy planet we live on. The EP was a prologue. And this [debut album] is a concept album about how the planet began, evolved and was explored. It consists of eight songs and each song has a story to tell.

Going through some changes in the line-up over the last couple of years, the music of the psychedelic rock outfit Oswaldovi keeps on evolving. The band currently performs as a trio: Andrea Rottin (vocals, guitar, tambourine), Kateřina Malá (vocals, drums), and Adam Šťasta (vocals, bass). Their sound can be described as psychedelic rock with roots in American blues of the 1930s, or in contemporary Tuareg blues. They also draw inspiration from southern European folk, spaghetti western soundtracks or drone minimalism, and their music, currently being at its densest, is soaked with destabilising elements. Oswaldovi are preparing a new record, which has been recorded at Underdogs'.