Polyvoda has dropped a new single titled “Bonfire.” The band members are Instrumentalists Denys Levchenko who plays the bass, Kyrylo Chykhradz is the keyboardist and Mykhailo Birchenko plays the drums and transcend borders, partnering with international voices to articulate their shared experience.
“Bonfire,” is an energizing and electrifying combination of modern jazz, hip-hop, neo-soul, and funk wihich starts with an intro of a spectacular drum solo, followed by a sensual neo-soul with female vocals in verse through a cohesive progression of a catchy bass melody to make another emotional splash in the chorus with the addition of funky major chords of piano.
This is what a hypothetical collaboration between Greentea Peng and, for example, Surprise Chef or Ezra Collective (without their brass section of the line-up) might sound like.
In the bridge of the song, it takes another transition, where there is a hip-hop chant in the vein of Little Simz or Sampa The Great, followed by intense percussion and dreamy keyboard passages.
Lyrically, the song “Bonfire,” reflects the bands feelings about the war that came to their home country, “Ukraine” in 2022. According to band’s member Kyrylo Chykhradze, “we tried to capture the emotional intensity and complexity of both love and war. We saw a parallel between the ash produced by the bonfire and the ashes left by the war, illustrating the destruction and rebirth inherent in both experiences. As the bonfire generates warmth, love can blossom amidst the chaos of war.”
“Bonfire” is a song that will literally sweep you away with its power and depth. Such a confident comeback with a provocative and inspiring song after the band paused for sometime is undoubtedly intriguing and makes you look forward to the subsequent releases from Polyvoda. If the band continues at this pace, this could be one of the significant musical band discoveries of the coming years.
Listen below on Spotify;
