Launched on April 23, 2025, the debut EP from Bucharest-based dance-punk/post-hardcore band Brainwasher is the product of a year-long evolution that started with a failed attempt, a second try, and finally, a spontaneous jam session that unlocked the band’s direction. “We jammed out some primordial riffs on bass and drums: that’s when the idea for the Brainwasher sound came along,” they recall.
The current lineup—Patrick Korosy (vocals), Victor Daraban (bass), Ștefan Niță (guitar/backing vocals), and Victor Iordache (drums)—was solidified in April 2024 after cycling through several potential members. Korosy and Daraban had known each other since high school but were in different bands until Victor’s group dissolved just as Patrick graduated. The timing was a fluke that turned out to be foundational.
Released digitally with high-quality formats and a name-your-price model, the EP threads together themes of disconnection, emotional numbness, internal conflict, and eventual self-renewal. “The album doesn’t have a single theme from top to bottom,” the band explains, “however it delves into themes of isolation, trying to make yourself heard, past relationships & the struggle to keep up with societal norms.”
Here’s the full track by track rundown:
Deathlok: This is the first song that we finished writing as a whole, we were listening to a lot of Title Fight & Turnstile in that period, which is visible in the instrumental. The lyrics are about struggling to connect with other people, feeling aimless, but also overwhelmed by the fact that you are aimless.
Pest Control: This song is probably the most nihilistic on the ep, it references themes of suicide.
Bleached Brows: Is about emo girls with bleached brows. Nah, but like in all seriousness, the song is about being in a relationship with someone who has destructive habits, feeling unhappy if you keep being together and feeling like a jerk if u dump them.
Glucose: Is about trying to make yourself heard and not getting distracted by temporary pleasure. It’s also about how some people get silenced and ostracized for trying to speak the truth. In that sense, the glucose is the sweet treat you are given to stay still, follow the rules and never question authority.
Dance 9: Is about feeling left out like you missed the train to your youth, learning how to live based on your goals not on other peoples opinions.
Rejuvenate: The ep ends in an optimistic manner; it’s about reinventing yourself and bringing something new to the table, it really echoes back to the very early days of the band, when we had to adapt musically to find a direction that was fulfilling for everyone.
Most Brainwasher songs start as a bass or guitar riff that’s fleshed out during rehearsal. “I think we all have slightly different reasons for forming this band,” they admit, “however at the core it’s about putting time and effort into something that means more than what we could’ve done alone.”
Their sound references Death From Above 1979, Gang of Four, The Hives, Idles, At The Drive-In, and LCD Soundsystem. There’s clear friction in what they describe as being a “not real punk” band—ironic for a group from a scene still steeped in post-lockdown urgency and political precarity.
Romania’s scene, according to Brainwasher
Formed in the wake of the pandemic, each member had been part of Bucharest’s punk and hardcore scene for roughly four years. “The scene in Bucharest is doing quite well at the moment,” they say, “we have a lot of new punk bands that have appeared in the last year.” But with the political situation uncertain, the future of that momentum feels fragile.
They name several local projects as part of that wave:
Cardinal: “local heroes, really good math-rock band, sadly they don’t play that much anymore, everyone wishes they played more often”
D.E.N.I.S: “garage rock solo project, very popular in Bucharest at the moment”
Scrag: “hardcore, noise punk project formed by 2 of the guys from Cold Brats… they are also very involved in the scene, they book a lot of foreign bands”
Plant: “eclectic post-punk mainstays”
Take No More: “metallic hardcore band from Bucharest, really popular with the skaters, they also book shows under the moniker burning bridges collective”
Tourist: “metalcore band, will release an album this year (they’ve been saying that for the past 3 years)”
Grinder: “metallic hardcore/groove metal, they recently released an ep mixed by Will Killingsworth”
What’s next:
Beyond the EP, Brainwasher is planning a remix project. “We want to release a remix EP, with each track done by a different DJ,” they explain. “We think that would be a good way to tear down some walls and bring our local community together.” They’re also touring across Romania this summer and working on a split EP with emo band Gone By Now from Cluj.
The band’s cover art is a lo-fi collage that fits their approach: functional and raw. “The cover art was a bitch to make,” they admit. “We went through like a million versions before we settled on this one… It’s simple and it works.”
Their growth in the past year has surprised even them. “It’s also humbling to see people that come to shows again and again,” they say, “and to see that people from across the world that don’t know us, such as yourself, are willing to give our music a chance.”
