29. August caught my attention primarily because of their lyrics, which are intelligent and unafraid to criticize the world we live in. They focus especially on conformity, comfort and consumerism. This is something that speaks to me, and I’m always glad to find a band whose lyrics aren’t built around simplistic, mindless declarations. That’s why the opening track Prebudenie immediately grabbed me on the first listen. Apart from being very well written, gradually building in intensity and topped off with a strong gang chorus, it deals with a subject I don’t come across very often on the Slovak or Czech scene. It is an encouragement to actually do something with yourself, to think, to create and not simply be a passive recipient of whatever the world around you throws at you.

Considering how much it pisses me off these days when someone thinks counterculture is nothing more than drinking beer and snorting cocaine in a toilet, this approach really pleased me. That underlying idea runs throughout the whole album, with related themes woven into the individual songs. They take on more specific forms, such as the criticism of capitalism in My Máme Práva or the expression of subcultural belonging in Tie Istá Trička.

There are also songs influenced by the Slovak rock scene, such as Mesto. I actually expected a song like this to annoy me more than anything, but they pulled it off, and for me it is one of the best tracks on the album. The band has managed to find a sensitive balance between the kind of chorus you want to scream along to in your car and the point where something like this could easily slip into a slightly pathetic attempt at grandeur. Fortunately, that never happens here.

29. August know how to write a strong chorus and, at the same time, play around with the arrangements so that its melodic character really stands out, as you can hear on Tvoje Svet. To further place everything firmly in a Slovak context, the band closes the album with Potom Príde Noc, which at certain moments reminds me of Slobodná Európa, although without their darker atmosphere.

For me, this is a great album, and I’m really happy that this material has finally made it onto vinyl. I’m even happier that there are still people who don’t see the point of being part of a subculture as simply getting shitfaced every weekend in exactly the same way as mainstream society, but rather in creating alternative structures, their own channels and different ways of doing things.

More bands like this and more records like this. A great release.

TOP TRACKY: Prebudenie, Tie Isté Trička, My Máme Práva