Fonija became one of my favorite punk bands… correction: favorite bands with the release of Mojot Pekol. I never heard of this Macedonian band before that release, but boy, that album left a lasting impression. It’s an album I still come back to on a regular basis. The album (...Bez Ime) and split with Culture Development (Magla) that followed are also held in high regard by me. These albums showed the progress of Fonija clearly. Mojot Pekol is a very catchy and melodic punk album with an immense sound. Almost like a punk band that wishes to translate punk to stadium ready rock. Especially on ...Bez Ime Fonija started to incorporate 80’s influences. Not the post punk or new wave influences that are pretty trending though. Think of that 80’s synth sound that some rock bands or poppy rock bands introduced. A trend that continues on the two EP’s that were released this year.
In fact the 80’s influences have pushed the punk influences to the back. Very much to the back. So much I doubted if I still liked Fonija at this point in their carreer. This is not a new thing. It took me some time to get used to the reinvented Fonija I heard on ...Bez Ime. And it seems they have reinvented themselves again. And after some hesitation from my side I’m still on board. The fact that the Covek Od Staklo EP made it to my mid year list says a lot…
Mislev is the second teaser for Fonijas upcoming album. As on Coved Od Staklo we are offered a brand new song, Mislev, and one redone old track (Coved Od Staklo offered one cover on top of that; a cover of fellow Macedonians Xaxaxa). It took me some time to get used to the new sound Fonija is exploring on these two EP’s. I don’t mind the 80’s sound, but I do miss the punk sound. "Mislev" is promising as the drive of this song brings back that punky vibe that I enjoyed so much in their older albums. On top of that the synth in this song are used extremely well. A simple melody if played that is so catchy it will stick in your head like glue. On top of that this songs plays out Fonija’s trump card: the hook. As you might have guessed the band sings in their mother tongue. It doesn't matter if you understand Macedonian or not, this song will grab you by the throat; all thanks to the hook it contains.
Second song is the reworked "Izlezi", originally released on Mojot Pekol. The original is kind of special to me. It’s the very first song Fonija song I ever heard. It’s the song that made me check the rest of their music. The reworked version doesn’t have much to do with that powerful song. In this version it’s a ballad like song. It is changed so drastically it’s really hard to recognize the original tune. This new version misses the passion and fire the original version did have. It’s not a bad song, but I will always prefer the original, which makes this remake somewhat unnecessary.
The new original song "Mislev" (and "Covek Od Staklo" for that matter) are promising enough to make me look forward to the new album. Yes, the Fonija that I loved has moved on. Is that a bad thing? As long as they don’t forget that drive and the passion they had and keep writing massive hooks I can only accept and enjoy the development of this band.
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