Youth of the North

Thousands of miles away from Moscow, the feral sound of Yakutian punk is born amid freezing darkness. Here, in Russia’s largest and coldest region, where temperatures in winter can drop to -60 degrees Celsius, rockers write completely independent music.

The history of the Yunost Severa (Youth of the North) association began with self-organization in 2009, with the desire of its members to make music that they themselves like. They do not position themselves as a label in the usual sense. Rather, as a group of friends united by a common goal to be creative — no more than 30 people make up the scene, and they shift positions in more than a dozen bands.

During all this time, bands appeared here, which managed to become cult on the domestic stage, some of them went on successful tours outside the republic. The music they write drawing inspiration from the region’s isolation and rich indigenous culture. These lyrics are rarely filled with furious tirades or calls to protest: Yunost Severa tend not to make political statements. Instead, their carefree, funny, or seemingly senseless words provide a form of release.

Publications

The Yakutian punks making music through deep polar nights, The Calvert Journal