Biography
Dive into the unique world of Kosmetika, a band that brings together musicians from different parts of the globe, unified in the city of Naarm aka Melbourne, Australia. The group paints a powerful fusion of gritty guitars, crisp bass lines and unforgettable scathing synthesisers, which transport the listener into Kosmetika’s own fantastic universe. Kosmetika is known for their eclectic repertoire which blends the elements of fuzz-pop, new wave, krautrock and many other classic genres. The mix of Russian and English lyrics adds a unique flair to their music, enriching it with more colourful layers. Kosmetika also shares members with several other prominent Melbourne groups (Delivery, Eggy, Dr Sure’s Unusual Practise, Cool Sounds, It Thing).
Since forming in 2018 in the city of Tamaki-Makaurau by Veeka Nazarova and Mikey Ellis, Kosmetika rapidly gained attention with their single ‘Kraftneau’ ,characterised by its modern Krautrock sound and mesmerising spoken word vocals. Their debut album ‘Pop Soap’ (Roolette Records) showcases the breadth of their talent. The album features tracks varying from '90s slacker guitar pop to intense, layered sounds reminiscent of the early Dandy Warhols and Krautrock.
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Kosmetika’s sophomore album ‘Illustration’ came out in early 2023 (Spoilsport Records), where the band took heavy inspiration from Shoegaze, Synth wave and Russian pop goth music.
The album is led by captivating synth sounds, intricate drum machine, melodic bass lines and odd-form structures while maintaining their usual pop sensibilities.’ Illustration’ is painted with a broad brush but woven into something unique and cohesive, and with this record Kosmetika have managed to make a modern underground new-wave pop gem. ‘Illustration’ was nominated for the Australian music prize in 2023 and was on constant rotation on 3RRR, KCRW (by Henry Rollins), KEXP and BBC 6 sounds.
Following their impressive DIY home-recorded effort in their sophomore album 'Illustration', Kosmetika turn to a more studio focused record with the release of their third album ‘Luxury’ in 2024 (Spoilsport Records), featuring engineering from Erik Scerba (Checkpoint, Hobsons Bay Coast Guard). They also depart from the more duo focused sounds, to a band heavy approach featuring all five members inputing vocals, song ideas and creating a diverse and detailed 10 tracks channeling a combination of their two previous releases.
'Pictures Are Gone' is our first taste of a more collaborative endeavour from Kosmetika, sitting somewhere between the 80's melancholic new-wave of the last record and some of the faster paced pop songs yet to come on 'Luxury'. The track settles into a psych-tinged shoegaze slow burner, featuring Eno-like melodic bass lines and washed out distorted guitars. It features Veeka Nazarova, the sole vocalist of 'Illustration', and maintains her usual new-wave tinged pop, also found in album hits 'Automobile' and 'Halp'.
The record manages to shift from full throttle guitar pop with Michael Ellis lead tracks 'Fish' and 'Make It Good', to the punk leaning Reward Risk headed by Jake Suriano (Dr Sure's Unusual Practice/Kitchen People/Checkpoint). Also heading into more Krautrock territory, 'Silver Streak' and 'Kosmetika Strikes Back' lead by Dom Moore (Eggy) and James Lynch (Delivery) respectively, show off the bands knack for steadily driven guitar tracks with satisfying moments of release.
Luxury is a record with so many influences and input that still manages to avoid any confusion in its ultimate goal, and comes together as an important collaborative marker in Kosmetika's increasingly impressive discography.
Kosmetika has been playing live shows in Australia since 2018 and supported the legendary Australian artists such as GUM, Exek & Gut Health. Kosmetika has also shared a stage with Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice, Bad Bangs, Checkpoint, The Bellar Lip Bombs, Delivery, Eggy and Clamm, playing all over the state of Victoria, including performances at regional arts & music festivals.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.