I was put onto Yasha 96 by the essential Philly-based music blog The Wild Is Calling. I can find out very little about this artist, other than his name (Jáchym Kovář), and that he’s Czech and based in Berlin. There’s this website with a little bit of information. He’s put out two albums since 2021, and his latest single If I Were A Girl not long ago.

It’s chill, melancholy, and enigmatic as hell. That little synth riff is an earworm, and the lyrics are peculiar. I also think I could beat him (maybe only him) in a dance-off. I didn’t know what to make of it at first but I kept going back to it. I fully love this track. In the YouTube description he offers this background:

During the filming of one of my first music videos, “Before Your House,” my friends and I faced a scary situation. A group of men threatened us with a baseball bat because I was wearing a tutu. Since then, I felt compelled to write a song about that experience, and here it is.

It’s compelling stuff. So I started at the beginning. The video he’s referencing is also excellent. It’s from his 2021 debut album The Boy Who Came Here From The Dust. Here’s that song:

It’s a strong debut. Despite the electronic drums and synths, it has a very organic sound to it. The songs are heartfelt, gloomy, and often theatrical, with direct, literal lyrics. It’s fairly straightforward emo/indie pop, written from the perspective of a lonely and lovesick guy who has been let down by more than a few people he loves.

You can hear the progression on the follow-up FILIP, released in late 2023. The record is unified by some room recordings – people talking, sometimes audible, sometimes muffled, or in another language. The production is more varied and confident, the mix of electronic beats with guitar, piano, and other analog instruments has a distinct feel to it. Several songs have a female vocalist accompaniment to balance Kovář’s limited vocal range. The lyrics are even more endearingly earnest; Kovář doesn’t go for symbolism or metaphor at all. It’s clear that English isn’t his first (or second) language, but it leads him to clever and unusual turns of phrase and the occasional spectacularly juvenile double-entendre.

Fireflies is a simple, stunning late-album ballad:

These songs feel like songs that he wrote for his loved ones, not meant for public release — almost unbearably private, painfully honest, and beautiful. The photo in the video above is also on the post announcing the album’s release, with this caption:

It was a long journey, but 𝘍𝘐𝘓𝘐𝘗 is finally out🌟. It’s probably the most personal thing I’ve ever written. I went through a ton of self-doubt, came close to burning out, and worked three jobs just to get the money to finish this album, But every time I listen to it, it makes me smile. I hope it does the same for you.🥲

I would love to thank my friends and family who let me use their voices on my album💕. I remember my sister once asked my friend Ruth, “What do you believe in?” Ruth took a sec and said, “I believe we should all care about each other.” That’s pretty much what this album means to me. I think. So please give it a listen and let me know what you think.

Here’s what I think: you should listen to this album.

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