In St. Petersburg, where the city’s abandoned sea station looms like a monument to obsolescence, a trio called ангст. (angst.) has emerged with a sound that’s raw, damaged, and quietly precise.
Rooted in DIY screamo and named after a term describing “a negative asthenic emotion associated with the subject’s feeling of inability to satisfy any need,” the band—Gleb (guitar/vocals), Victor (bass), and Dmitry (drums)—crafts music shaped by emotional collapse.
Their stance on the political climate is measured but unambiguous: they do not support any wars or conflicts, avoid engaging in political discourse, and prefer to let the music speak for itself. It’s a detached yet deliberate position, echoed in the band’s overall tone—present, observant, but not pleading.
They call themselves a “DIY screamo band,” drawing on a lineage that includes Daitro, Sed Non Satiata, and La Quiete, and have emerged from the obscurity of garage rehearsals into a local scene regaining its pulse.
Guitarist and vocalist Gleb, bassist Victor, and drummer Dmitry formed the band not through careful planning but “quite by accident.” Some members met at indie shows, others online. “We all burned, listened and wanted to play emo/screamo,” they write. “Since the genre is quite niche, it was hard to find like-minded people, but luckily all the stars aligned and the band angst. appeared.” The name came casually, during a conversation en route to rehearsal. Its tone—succinct and cold—matched what would soon emerge musically.
The early rehearsals were chaotic. “We were gathering at different degrees of lousiness,” they admit, but something formed through the disorder. As they got to know each other, “talking about life and music,” the concept for the debut EP took shape. The writing process was instinctive, strung together from “uncomplicated riffs,” conversations about “cozy days that have passed,” and “shared music that helps us brighten up this everyday life.” The emotional source material was familiar: broken hearts, confusion, lingering memories.
Their debut EP, “Увечья,” was recorded DIY—“a guitar assembled from several (yes, it’s a partcaster), bought by hand for a pretty penny,” plus a cobbled-together pedalboard. “It was a trial run,” they write. “Looking at it now, we may complain about its simplicity and directness, but that’s also its charm and warmth.” The result is a four-track meditation on emotional trauma, fragmented and sublimated as far as they could push it.
Интро (Intro) – “A little interlude to this period of life.”
Пожалуйста, хватит (Please, Stop) – “A feeling of utter confusion, sadness… whipped with the verges of very fresh and now painful memories.”
Мой дорогой человек (Dear Person) – “Trying to hastily gather in an armful and hold tightly what is no longer around and cannot be.”
Кричи (Scream) – “Nothing but hate, deafening and meaningless.”
The EP artwork depicts the now-defunct sea terminal of St. Petersburg, designed by drummer Dmitry, who has “a fine sense of visuals.”
Once a symbol of movement and expectation, the terminal now offers “only empty piers, and cracked tiles on the embankment.” The metaphor is intentional. The cover for a later release was designed by Vlada, drummer of fellow local band misericorde, and shows “depersonalized and faded people, walking towards their goal. Probably, they don’t realize why they do it.”
“We were incredibly pleased to see the response among the audience,” they add. “We are glad that everyone found something different here. So it was not for nothing.”
On May 16, angst. will release “Опоздал” (“Late”), a single they describe as “an ode to the burned-out generation… tired of seeing achievers rushing forward like an electric train.” It’s about people lost in deadlines, procrastination, and “thrown into the ammunition in this social meat grinder.” The outro tries to musically recreate the scramble to keep pace with a departing carriage—rhythmic drag and abrupt stall. They aimed for a “more readable” sound this time, and the single will be released through DIY label “Мертвых собак лай” (“Dead Dog Barking”).
The band premiered the track live on March 1, their first show. “It was quite cozy,” they say. “We were glad to see the slam to our tracks… to get some respects and to go on stage for the first time.” The hope is for more. “Next in our plans is to release another single and then a small album,” they explain. “The sound has changed… the lyrics acquired a somewhat hyper-realistic tone, the tracks began to sound less punkish, acquiring a more dragging, melancholic, chaotic sound.”
St. Petersburg’s screamo scene had been “almost dead,” they note, “but now something begins to slowly revive, reborn and get a second wind.” DIY labels are reappearing, old bands reuniting, and new collectives playing in lofts, squats, and clubs. “It’s a very cozy place where everyone knows each other, helps and supports,” they write. “At concerts the home atmosphere prevails, as if you just decided to get together with your friends, drink beer, talk about life and play your favorite songs.”
They make a point to acknowledge their peers:
Misericorde – A Russian emo duo formed in 2024, blending post-hardcore and atmospheric elements, known for sincerity and sound experiments.
НИЗИНА – Mixing emo, garage punk, and post-hardcore, marked by “open emotions” and “wavy vocals.”
Мелисса – A shoegaze-emo quartet combining guitar textures and metaphor-heavy lyrics.
-1 – Combining screamo aggression with emotional sincerity, focused on themes of pain, loss, and inner struggle.
Bird Bone – Fuses midwest emo, math rock, screamo, and pop-punk, citing Old Gray, Tiny Moving Parts, Suis La Lune as influences.
Ищейка – A shoegaze-indie collective active since 2018, with a wall-of-sound aesthetic.
The infrastructure around the scene includes:
“Мертвых собак лай” (“Dead Dog Barking”) – Prioritizing “quality over quantity,” this DIY label supports “non-standard artists” and promotes experimental output.
Фузз и Дружба (Fuzz and Friendship) – A label and booking agency active since 2019, with over 700 concerts and 600 digital releases. Known for unifying indie, post-punk, metal, and electronic scenes.
Grains of Sand Booking – DIY-oriented since 2015, with a catalog spanning emo, post-hardcore, screamo, post-rock, and experimental punk.
The band notes that the local scene reflects “the best of classic ’90s emo and new generation screamo,” adapted to modern reality. “Young bands and solo projects often work independently, recording music in home studios… concerts often turn into a space of support, openness and real catharsis.”
Influences they cite include: Local: -1 – Дэмка, Bagdadski Vor – Колхида, Marschak – Marschak, Relict, Volzhanka – Мятежные дни, Dead Eyes, Eridas Garden – Альбом, Kovarski – Shest. International: The Appleseed Cast – The End of the Ring Wars, Daïtro – Laisser vivre les squelettes, Sed Non Satiata – Split w/Daitro, La Quiete – La Fine Non È La Fine.
They also list Veresk, Aesthetic Across the Color Line, Забыл Повзрослеть, Запал, Палисад, Серпуховская Драйв, Север as top current bands, alongside a broader circle worth exploring: Materic, Son of Deni, Причал, Kashtanka, Eilean Mor, Маяк, Namatjira, Состояние Птиц, prospal., Развал Схождение.
To get closer to the pulse that shaped them, the band points to seven live recordings—raw fragments of the Russian and international underground that reflect the same tension, release, and fragile intent that runs through their own work.
