Main image: Skromniy Bog
The forty-ninth interview through images by Andrey Sheptunov
The contemporary Ukrainian music scene is a powerful resonator that continuously transforms, capturing and rethinking the slightest vibrations of our time. In this boiling stream of sounds and meanings, it becomes increasingly difficult to find those who do not chase fleeting trends but build their own, independent coordinate system.
Today's listener is looking not just for a catchy motive; they are looking for a frank dialogue devoid of falsehood and plastic perfection. And it is at this moment that music capable of speaking the language of honest, unrefined metaphors comes to the fore.
The band "Skromniy Bog" (Humble God) is a phenomenon that is deliberately difficult to confine to the tight framework of a single genre or mood. Their work masterfully balances on the fine line between deep philosophical reflection and sharp, sometimes even biting irony over everyday life.
The very name of the collective already sets a certain perspective: it is a view of the world from the standpoint of a quiet but all-seeing observer who notices every detail, every human weakness, but is in no hurry to moralize.
The musical arsenal of the group impresses with its eclecticism and bold decisions. They organically intertwine rhythmic motives with multi-layered lyrics, creating tracks that can sound in the headphones of a lonely passerby and serve as powerful soundtracks.
Their collaborations, particularly with iconic performers like Anastasia Bukina and the vocal sextet Duke Time, prove that "Skromniy Bog" knows how to brilliantly combine different creative energies into a single, voluminous message.
The band's lyrics are a completely separate dimension where every word carries weight and is strictly in its place. The musicians are not afraid to touch upon the most complex, exposed topics that resonate with every Ukrainian right now. From a harsh, unyielding manifesto of inner freedom to the crystal-clear feeling of dull irritation — their lyrics capture the historical and emotional moment often more accurately than dry news reports.
At the same time, there is always the necessary space for escapism and the search for inner balance in their songs. When the world around sparks with tension, "Skromniy Bog" offers saving self-irony or philosophical contemplation of karmic processes. This is a kind of musical therapy that allows the listener to exhale, stop for a moment, and rethink the surrounding chaos without unnecessary panic.
In the context of the modern cultural landscape, where art becomes the most important way of fixing identity, such projects acquire special value. They document the era through the prism of personal, non-obvious experience, turning private stories into universal anthems of resistance, self-discovery, and uncompromising creative freedom. Their tracks line up into a solid, very sincere picture of worldview.
To talk to such authors with standard, template questions about creative plans and abstract sources of inspiration means to doom the conversation to boring predictability in advance. The true voice of the artist sounds not in prepared press releases, but in those lines that are born in the studio or during sleepless nights. It is there, between the verse and the chorus, that the most accurate answers to the most difficult questions that life poses to us are hidden.
Therefore, a special, non-standard format was chosen for this interview, allowing the poetry to speak for itself. We invited the band "Skromniy Bog" to answer our questions not with usual extended phrases, but exclusively with quotes from their own songs. These lines are the perfect keys to understanding their philosophy. Below is this unusual lyrical dialogue, where music becomes the only true language of communication.
1. Show us that very line which is the absolute calling card of the band and speaks about you better than any official biography?
"This whole world is deceiving us,
But on the balcony, an ikebana
I will paint..."
(Song: "На балконі" / On the Balcony)
2. Which of your lines best conveys the state when you want to splash accumulated emotions out?
"It pisses me off when that fucker creeps in here..."
(Song: "Бісить" / Pisses Me Off)
3. With what words from your work would you answer a person who asks how not to go crazy from the daily heavy news?
"Let my flag fly,
I'm keeping my spirits up and holding the line..."
(Song: "Тримаємо настрій" / Keeping Our Spirits Up - feat. Duke Time & Anastasia Bukina)
4. What words from your tracks would be perfect to describe a sudden mystical intervention in fate?
"Yin to yang is just the ice of boasting
About one's own deeds..."
(Song: "Карма" / Karma)
5. Show us a fragment of your song that most honestly describes what is happening in Ukraine right now?
"There might be way too many bombs around,
But I will never be a slave..."
(Song: "Не буду рабом" / I Will Not Be a Slave - coming soon)
6. Which of your works hides a personal manifesto of inner freedom from the expectations of others?
(Song: "Вій" / Viy - coming soon)
7. Show us the lines that you would like to leave to the listener as advice in a moment of difficult choice?
"Look. Sometimes we walk in circles
And forget what's around us.
And around us, there are people everywhere hiding their feelings,
Even fading into oblivion, don't be sad."
(Song: "Еней" / Aeneas)
8. Share a quote that best describes the feeling of ironic irritation from the surrounding world?
"Raya is screaming, as always..."
(Song: "Дах" / Roof - coming soon)
9. Which of your lines could become an epigraph to a book about a long search for one's calling?
"So here is your boom, and here is your bam..."
(Song: "Шива бум" / Shiva Boom)
10. Show us the lines that sound like an ellipsis at the end of an important story, leaving room for reflection?
"There will be no word 'Stop'."
(Song: "Вій" / Viy - coming soon)
11. Which of your texts works as a direct call to action in those moments when you just want to give up?
"Just like Aeneas..."
(Song: "Еней" / Aeneas. "Authorized to State" soundtrack)
12. Which of your lines is exactly the message you would like to leave in history forever for future generations?
"I'll melt there just for fun..."
(Song: "На балконі" / On the Balcony)
The work of the band "Skromniy Bog" is a striking example of how music becomes something more than just a set of notes and rhymed lines. This is a kind of diary of our time, in which there is a place for dull pain, and biting irony, and unwavering faith in one's own strength.
By answering our questions with fragments from their own tracks, the musicians only confirmed the main thing: they do not need artificial meanings and lengthy explanations. The whole essence, their entire philosophy, and attitude to the surrounding world are already embedded in the lyrics that speak for themselves — honestly, sharply, and without unnecessary embellishment.
In a reality where every day brings new challenges, such projects help not to lose the ground under your feet. "Skromniy Bog" does not just record what is happening; they offer the listener to share this state of observation with them — sometimes sarcastic, sometimes philosophical, but always very sincere.
Their music reminds us that even when the usual foundations crumble around us, we can always find the strength to preserve our inner freedom and, despite everything, continue to "keep the spirits up and hold the line."
Ahead, the collective has the release of new songs that promise to become the next important manifestos for those looking for truth in art. To not miss upcoming releases, such as "Viy" or "I Will Not Be a Slave," and follow the development of this unique musical story, join the band's communities.
Stay in touch with the musicians on Facebook, follow their lives on Instagram, and catch the brightest video fragments on TikTok. Real music is born here and now — stay on the same wavelength with those who create it.
