While they’ve remained relatively silent over the past six years, Theodor Bastard refuse to stay still. Amidst the shadows of the pandemic, war and invasive technology, the world music pioneers have been searching for a way out of the darkness that’s descended over our reality. The path that they discovered on their upcoming eighth studio album didn’t lead back to their home in the forest of Karelia, but away from it, into the coldness of the city, a collapsing civilization, and ultimately, rebirth.
Today, Theodor Bastard are announcing their new album ▽ (pronounced V) with a thrilling music video for its bewitching lead single. While it reconnects with their roots in electronic music, “Sverkay” is a sure sign that the band are bound for dark new horizons.
“This album might never have happened”, Theodor Bastard producer, multi-instrumentalist and founding member Fedor Svolotch says. “So much has surrounded us during recent years: the pandemic, war, division, fear, anxiety over technology, and a sense that reality itself is becoming darker and more unstable. We have felt so much anger, pain, confusion and disappointment both in ourselves and in the world around us. All these emotions were gathering inside us, changing, darkening, searching for a form, until they eventually transformed into the unexpected on ▽”.
Watch the music video for “Sverkay” below:
▽ comes out November 13, 2026 on Season of Mist.
Pre-order
https://orcd.co/theodorbastardv
Pre-save on Spotify
▽ reflects just how much has changed since the world last heard from Theodor Bastard in April 2020. While the band are still recognized internationally for blending ritual folk, electronics and world music, on their new album, they’ve re-embraced their early electronic impulses because that’s now how modern life feels: cold, sharp, tense.
“Our sound changed because the world changed”, Svolotch explains. “We had to destroy our own habits and expectations to make ▽. We wanted to start again, as if the band has no past, no safe place, no ready-made formula. As a result, this album is not a continuation of what came before. It’s a different door”.
Long-time fans of Theodor Bastard were pleasantly surprised late last year when the pulse-pounding analog synths of “Nebo” first appeared in the award-winning Russian crime drama The Method. But the latest single from
▽ is a giant leap from the softer, more earthly textures of the band’s recent studio ventures. Like a spaceship, “Sverkay” rumbles with distorted bass before it’s suspended high above the earth by a trap-like beat.
The video for “Sverkay” was directed by Fedor Svolotch and stars Yana Veva. Theodor Bastard built the spaceship that appears in the video by hand. They also created the video’s practical and visual effects themselves. The concept for the spacesuit was created by Yana Veva and made by TomHem Studio.
Additional video credits
Screenwriters - Fedor Svolotch & Yana Veva
Director of Photography - Oleg Makoseev
Additional Camera - Vyacheslav Salikov
Film Editor - Fedor Svolotch
Gaffer & Assistant Director - Taras Frolov
Storyboard Artist - Yana Veva
Spacesuit Concept Art - Yana Veva
Spacesuit Fabrication - TomHem Studio
Spaceship Control Panel Fabrication - Andy Vladych
Spaceship Cockpit Concept - Alexey Kalinovskiy
Set Design and Construction - Alexey Kalinovskiy & Kusas
Props Master - Alexey Kalinovskiy
Practical Effects - Alexey Kalinovskiy & Kusas
Visual Effects - Maria Starostina & Fedor Svolotch
Colorist - Vyacheslav Salikov
With ▽, Theodor Bastard return with dark electronics for dark times.
Recording Lineup
Yana Veva - Vocals, Lyrics, Vocal arrangements, Synthesizers, Keyboards
Fedor Svolotch - Arrangements, Guitars, Bass guitar, Synthesizers, Analog synthesizers, Keyboards, Drum programming, Sound design, Sound production, Mixing
Christine Kazarian - Harp
Vyacheslav Salikov - Cello / Strings
Kusas - Percussion, Bells, Metallophone, Marimba, Jaw harp
Ekaterina Dolmatova - Backing vocals
Eli H - Bass guitar
Alexey Kalinovskiy - Keyboards, Synthesizer, Lap slide guitar
Vyacheslav Nikiforov - Drums
Sergey Smirnov - Drums
Maria Starostina - Flute, Backing vocals
Maxim Kostyunin - Guitar
Gale Dorothy - Vocals on Molnii i Svist
Current Lineup
Yana Veva - Vocals
Fedor Svolotch - Sound, Guitar, Electronics
Andy Vladich - Drums
Alexey Kalinovskiy - Keyboards
Kusas - Percussion
Vyacheslav Salikov - Cello
Ekaterina Dolmatova - Backing vocals
Production Credits
Producer - Fedor Svolotch
Sound Engineer - Fedor Svolotch
Mixing Engineer - Fedor Svolotch
Mastering Engineer - Boris Istomin
Recording Studio - Theo Records
Mastering Studio - Knob Studio
Cover Artwork
Fedor Svolotch
Artwork / Layout Designer
Yana Veva & Fedor Svolotch
Pre-order & Pre-save
https://orcd.co/theodorbastardv
Booking
Maxim Krupoderya
theodorbastard@gmail.com
Follow Theodor Bastard
Website: https://theodorbastard.com/
Bandcamp: https://theodorbastard.bandcamp.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2PQ9UX4kWDE3mf2fYGRzqF
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/theodor-bastard/204585292
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theodorbastard
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheodorBastard/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theodor_bastard/?hl=en