Last time we featured VELIKA VELIKA it was cold outside, just like today. Only, it was January earlier this year. ‘COMING. GOING.’ was being presented as a rowdy, fierce effort, so much so that we celebrated it as “a slice of electrifying grunge rock delivered with pop appeal and alternative flair”. Such words create a stark contrast with the British rocker’s latest single, ‘The Gulag Archipelago’.
Leaving behind fuzzy guitar tones and energetic riffing, VELIKA VELIKA embarks on a mellower path, making ample use of a ukulele and slow-burn drum grooves. The result is a more measured and melodious piece, quite hypnotising and rooted in its overall songwriting. The track’s intensity varies quite a lot, constantly rising only to then morph into a bucolic and atmospheric outro.
To note, VELIKA VELIKA is rather creative with his vocals on this occasion, building plenty of vocal harmonies drenched in spacious effects. The added orchestral strings at the end make for an elegant ending – yet pretty melancholic and obscure. Speaking about the inspiration behind ‘The Gulag Archipelago’, VELIKA VELIKA explains: “The piece reflects the themes of Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s classic book of the same name, paralleling it with the acceptance of spiritual suffering that we must all endure at various points in life.”
Recommended! Discover ‘The Gulag Archipelago’ on Spotify:
