Zimbru is an indie / art-rock band from Cluj-Napoca, Romania comprised of Teodora Retegan, Paul Bucovesan, Andrei Bobiș and Oana Pop. Their sound can be described as a wild mix of raspy synthesizers, angular guitar riffs, and lively percussion all topped off by stories of dancing, lost pets, real love, and nostalgia for never experienced past decades.
In early 2019 the band made their stage debut and put out their first release – a live recording of Dog Heaven performed at the Cirkular studio. (listen here: https://smarturl.it/DogHeaven) This release was closely followed by the band’s first-ever single release – Divination – the first track off their debut EP. The track was released alongside an absurdist, surrealist video directed by Irina Alexiu.
The summer months following the release of Divination saw the band playing all of Romania’s major music festivals. On September 27th Zimbru released their second single, Little Creatures, along with a camp, faux fairy-tail music video, marking the second collaboration between the band and director Irina Alexiu.
The band released their debut EP on November 8th via Cirkular. This record shares the same name with their second single, Little Creatures. (while also nodding to one of the band’s big influences, The Talking Heads) The EP consists of four tracks – Divination, Little Creatures, Terejo and Dyo – and represents the very essence of Zimbru’s sound and aesthetics.
The band started to get more international attention after their debut EP release. In a feature article, Europavox praised the band’s charming debut: “Labeled as a breath of fresh air in the Eastern-European space, one cannot help but fall in love with Zimbru again and again.”.
2020 put a halt on things, as it did for everyone else – the band postponed all shows for 2021 with the exception of their online performance for WAVES VIENNA, where they debuted their brand new double single, The Ground / Slow Disco, released just a few weeks before the festival, at the end of August.