Bēdu Brāļi is one of Latvia’s foremost alternative bands with a sound that draws on a wide range of left-field subgenres of indie and alternative rock, including shoegaze, psychedelic rock and post-punk. The three-piece are famed for their exhilarating live performances, DIY ethos and building their own studio to record. With the band unafraid to delve into their most personal and depraved feelings, there tends to be a sinister edge to their sound that sends crowds into frenzy. On stage, they deploy a rich array of effects and powerful dual-stack amps for the lead guitar. The result is an immersive wall-of-sound that feeds the propulsive drums and fuzz-drenched bass as alluring, hypnotic vocals in Latvian invite close listening. The band has so far released one studio album (Duende 2022) and one EP (Dzivais 2021). Their debut album is a statement of intent that landed them an award for best rock/metal album at the most prestigious music award ceremony in Latvia, Zelta Mikrofons. The band’s second album Lauskas, which translates to ‘Shards’ in English, is due to be released through I Love You Records (Super Besse, Zidruns, Ewert and the Two Dragons). The name of the album – Shards – is an apt reflection of the Bēdu Brāļi’s proudly scattergun approach to its influences. The post-punk of ‘Drošākā Vieta’  – reminiscent of Molchat Doma or Bauhaus – comes after the desert-rock of ‘Ikdienas Dzīve’ and Radiohead-esque ‘Pieskaries’ singles. Overall, their eclectic, hard-hitting sound is cutting-edge and deservedly valorized throughout the vibrant Latvian indie scene, where they’ve cut their teeth since forming in 2020.  Bēdu Brāļi formed in Riga in 2020 over a shared fondness for the Latvian independent music scene of the mid-00s. The likes of Židrūns, In.Stora and Bērnības Milicija had a profound impact in inspiring them to form bands. In addition to Bēdu Brāļi, the musicians are known for their roles in other acts in Latvia: singer Oskars Tu in Kasetes; bassist Jānis Liepiņš in Kasetes and Tribes Of The City. Meanwhile, drummer Peteris works as a sound engineer for indie rock group Carnival Youth. It’s up to debate how much the other projects feed into Bēdu Brāļi, but it certainly doesn’t hinder them. There’s a timelessness to their artful reimagining of indie and alt-rock tropes that sets Bēdu Brāļi up to leave an indelible impact on the Latvian scene.