Post-Punk Trio Raskolnikov Take a Scenic Road Trip in Their Video for “Masterfreak”

With guitar riffs sharp enough to cut through the existential dread of modern life and melodies so haunting they could spook a ghost, Masterfreak, Raskolnikov’s new single, sparks an intricate dance of melancholy and despair into a foot-tapping, head-bobbing affair.

Named for Dostoyevsky’s protagonist Rodion Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov conjures a “polyphony of unordered consciousness, leading to the division of the self.” Diving headfirst into the abyss of sound, this Swiss-Spanish-French trio (Jérôme Blum, Jaime Fernandez da Costa and Mathieu Pawelski-Szpiechowycz) serves up a blend of shoegaze and post-punk that’s as brooding as a cloudy day, yet still irresistible with Masterfreak. Picture a gloomy cocktail—bittersweet with a twist of ennui—shaken, not stirred, in the dimly lit backroom of an underground club. This is music for the soul that wears its heart on a black, tattered sleeve.

Formed in 2015, Raskolnikov crosses both geographical borders as well as the boundaries between melancholy and euphoria.

So, buckle up for this self-directed joyride of a video below:

Raskolnikov was formed by Mathieu Pawełski-Szpiechowycz (bass/vocals) at the end of 2015, traveling between Geneva, Paris, and Constance. Pablo Garrido (guitar) and Jérôme Blum (drums) joined the project at the beginning of 2017. Mathieu, Jérôme, and Pablo performed together between 2013 and 2016 in a project-based in Geneva. Quentin Allamand joined Raskolnikov on guitar and keyboards in the autumn of 2019. Today, the group is mainly based in Konstanz/Kreuzlingen and Biel.

The first album, Hochmut kommt vor dem Fall, was released in 2017 on Manic Depression Records. The second album, Lazy people will destroy you was released in 2020 on Icy Cold Records and Manic Depression Records. Between releases, the band played over a hundred gigs across Europe. They’ve shared the stage with Dear Deer and Tisiphone.

Masterfreak, the new single from the French-Swiss-Spanish post-punk trio, heralds a new EP in spring and a third full length album slated for autumn 2024.

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