Ploho: "We release music all the time because in Siberia, if you stop moving, you'll die!"

In a reality where the sound of post-punk has been combined due to the platform of Tik-Tok with the strict aesthetics of the former USSR, it was only expected to recognize a huge flowering of bands that are ranked from the said region. The most popular band of this phenomenon may be Molchat Doma, but there are plenty of artists out there who have been sweating it out just as long or even longer. Ploho shine as a typical example of this current genre which is now known as soviet-wave. Raised in Siberia, they are well aware of cold and seasonal depression and this shines through in their music.

With ten releases under their belt already, Ploho made a brief but big impression a few years ago with their participation at the Death Disco Open Air Festival. So it was only logical for them to return for an appearance of their own. Shortly before its realization, Victor Uzhakov talks to us about how they create music and also about the sudden popularity that the post-punk sound has regained in recent years.

Hello and welcome to Rocking.gr! How is 2025 finding you?

This year is very two-faced. It started out like a roller coaster, very sharp drops. But we've managed to keep the balance normal so far.

Russian artists usually try to make more releases than is common in Europe

In the years of your existence, you have been very active. In ten years, you’ve released 12 studio albums and I don’t really see anything stopping this rhythm. What is it that keeps you so active?

Maybe because we're from Siberia, if you stop moving, you'll die. Haha. Actually, I would compare our band to a growing baby. At first, it's a huge amount of energy that's rushing in all directions and can't find a suitable use for itself. Later he comes to realize who he is, he starts to understand himself and direct the energy in the right direction. I think this moment of maturation has happened to us recently. 2-3 albums ago.

But in general, Russian artists usually try to make more releases than is common in Europe or the West, for example. I'm not sure I can explain why.

In 2020 you started working with Canadian Artoffact Records and up until your latest work, you seem to be working pretty well together. What was it that you found a good teammate in them?

To be honest this is our first relationship with the label and I think we were just lucky to meet these guys first. I've heard a lot of negative stories about label relationships.

"Soil" (Почва) is our first record written not in Russia, it's very difficult feelings

Your latest work was last years "Soil" (Почва). How do you feel about this album now that you know it has been positively appreciated?

It's a very important album for me, it's our first record written not in Russia, it's very difficult feelings. In the sense that I didn't expect that there is such a big difference in where you are physically when you write your songs. It turns out that it depends much less on the writer than on the circumstances.

You released a very beautiful video for the song "Гештальт". Tell us a little bit more about it and the people who made it.

Thank you! This clip was shot on a handheld camera at 360x320 quality and edited on my phone! I love this approach! Gestalt is a song about how little humanity means on the scale of our world, our solar system, our planet. The ambitions of humanity are ridiculous. And I used this anti-capitalist approach to filming to show that. Because the industry is increasingly dictating to us how an artist should behave in this market, shooting stupid tik-toks, recording trending videos and so on. When a tsunami is happening, all that matters is only the tsunami.

I really hope that now people will finally realize how little they mean to their leaders, how much they don't care

I won’t pretend that I get much more from your lyrics other that what I can read in poor google translation, but from your video descriptions and comments and that, I can tell that you do have a strong voice that can get deeply sociopolitical. Did you have it as a target?

We never tried to talk about politics, only human feelings and sensations in this world. Politics is the biggest deception in the world. I really hope that now people will finally realize how little they mean to their leaders, how much they don't care. Politics is money, money and money again. War is money, elections are money, energy resources are money. And people are most often the price politicians pay for their needs, like in a supermarket. So I certainly wouldn't want to sing about these assholes.

Post-punk is a music genre that you can also find very often in the DIY cycles. Did you ever have such an option to begin with, or was it something that you were not interested in?

Our music is first and foremost DIY. Just recently we released a live album recorded on a cassette recorder for 20 euros. It's a very dirty recording, but it has its charm! By the way this album will be available on vinyl on tour!

I love Serbia and the people who live here, but it was a forced step for the band

You choose to relocate to Serbia during the recent years. Was this choice made for yourselves or for your career, and how has it affected you?

This choice is made primarily for myself and my career, yes. Because we postponed our concerts in Europe for several years because of the covid, then the war started and the borders were closed. I love Serbia and the people who live here, but it was a forced step for the band.

If you could look out my window in Novosibirsk, you'd understand why we choose post-punk!

You are one of the longest-running post-punk bands that come from your area. What is it for you in the post-punk music that helped you to choose it as a form of your expression?

If you could look out my window in Novosibirsk, you'd understand! hahaha. Actually Russians are very close to the atmosphere of this music. Russian rock has never been particularly cheerful, in general we have more demand for depressing music, I think.

There is certainly a specific style of music that a lot of people describe as soviet post-punk, including you and bands such as Molchat Doma and Buerak getting very popular the past few years. Do you feel there is something bonding you with other musicians that express this style or is it just a coincidence that you come from the approximate same area on the map?

We grew up with the same music, it makes sense. We have the same ground for creativity. We grew up on Kino and so on, and now some post-punk bands have grown up with our songs and that's logical too.

Soviet aesthetics often draw people in when combined with post punk music

There is also though this internet era that has combined your sound a lot with images of cold and brutalist soviet architecture, we see for example many videos of soviet countries on viral videos combined with your music – do you feel that this virality was good for you in the long term or is it more of a gimmick to combine post-punk with the post-soviet/ balkan aesthetic?

It's a fun combo. Soviet aesthetics often draw people in when combined with post punk music. It's quite funny because the Soviet aesthetic had nothing to do with post punk and the USSR had a completely different music, believe me! But it's a hybrid of the new times, that's how the cultural stratum developed.

But in the case of an audience that doesn't speak Russian, it's the atmosphere and the mood of the music that decides everything

It's not only the soviet-wave though, post-punk in general is living a very very big revival. Sometimes I wonder a lot what is it in post-punk that makes it get very popular in languages that sound unfamiliar to the English ear, such as Russian in your case, and I can think of many examples in Greek and Turkish too. What is your opinion on that?

I think atmosphere and sincerity are at the forefront of this music. The lyrics are very important, Russian artists in general put a lot of sense into their lyrics. But in the case of an audience that doesn't speak Russian, it's the atmosphere and the mood of the music that decides everything.

Are there any new bands in your sound that you have distinguished and want to suggest?

I haven't listened to all the old bands yet to be seriously interested in the new ones! :) Kidding, actually I really don't really like new music, in post-punk especially. I'm intimidated by all those tik-tok guys.

English or not though, the sound is making a return, and we saw you a couple of years ago for the first time in our country in a very big festival full of post-punk and gothic sounds. How was the experience for you playing here for the first time? I still remember how hot it was that day, but yeah!

It was crazy hot! I've never experienced it before. But I have only the fondest memories of Greece and the people there. The festival was great too! I listened to the cult Sad Lovers and Giants live there!

And now the time has come for you to return, but this time for a full headline show! Are you excited? What should we expect from you?

We will try not to disappoint you! There will be a lot of new songs and all or almost all of our top 10 will be played!

I think we'll take a little break and do a new record!

And what about 2025? What is this year bringing? Maybe another album soon? More touring?

I think we'll take a little break and do a new record! I haven't realized yet what I want more, a big album or on the contrary a short shot at 3-or 4 songs. But this year will be something new for sure! A couple of songs are already recorded, but it's a secret! :)

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer to our questions. Please sum up this interview however you like for something towards our readers.

We are very much looking forward to meeting our Greek friends! We hope to see you at the concerts!