Bratislava’s MARS_999 has been doing things his own way since the jump. His debut record EUPHONIA is available only on vinyl and paid download – no streaming – and every release comes with its own visual identity, from Warhol-inspired pop-art campaigns to a music video shot entirely on 8mm analog film. “Ostrov” came out March 14th, produced by Australian producer Rohin Brown and mastered by Randy Merrill. The title means “My Own Island” in Slovak, and the lyrics match – sparse, dark, an invitation into isolation and low blood and darkness. Not a lot of words, all of them heavy.
The music video is genuinely disturbing in that specific way that gets under your skin without being gratuitously violent or shocking. Director, Doctorswife, and choreographer Martina Drozolová create this uncanny, slightly off atmosphere where nothing is quite wrong enough to name, but everything feels wrong. It’s the kind of visual that lingers well after the song ends, which is clearly the point.
The music itself sits in hypnotic trip-hop and dark wave territory – fractured synths, minimalist beats, vocals that feel more like confessions whispered in a dark room than a performance. It’s not trying to grab you; it’s trying to pull you under slowly, and it works. For a project that philosophically rejects the algorithmic streaming world in favor of vinyl and intentional listening, “Ostrov” as a standalone single feels like a deliberate taste – enough to make you want the full thing on wax.
