Ukrainian band HLIBOROB has released the first visual for their debut album ‘Nachuvaisia’ — for the track ‘NERO’. The title means ‘water’ in Greek and references the opera of the same name, staged at GogolFest in Mariupol in 2019
HLIBOROB frontman Illia Miroshnyk became a performer in the play ‘Nero’ at the age of 17, and the track is based on his memories of the experience.
‘The phenomenon of combining the brutality of factories and cranes, the sharp waves of the Sea of Azov in Mariupol, and 600 human hearts and living flesh had a profound impact on him’, the band adds.
The track and video work as a cultural memory and an ‘artistic shock’, as well as a trigger for ‘feelings and an experience that few of us are likely to ever live through again’.
The band filmed the ‘NERO’ visual in Lviv at the Lesia Ukrainka Theater, and Sashko Brama directed the video.
According to him, the theater supported the band and the production team by providing the space and equipment for the shoot.
‘The underground romance of HLIBOROB is very close to my heart. The guys aren’t afraid to explore, they experiment with form, and they work with complex worldview themes, — Brama shares. — Even during our first call, I had the feeling that these are my guys, people I want to collaborate with. We know the direction, but we don’t know what the road will look like or where it will lead us. It’s a responsibility because we’re working on the artist’s image. At the same time, it’s a very exciting and unpredictable process that gives birth to unexpected creative solutions’.
About the play ‘Nero’
The play ‘Nero’ was staged in 2019 by director Vlad Troitskyi, with the participation of the musical ensembles Nova Opera and TseSho, as well as the Dakh and Teatromania theaters.
The shipyard docks of the Azov Ship Repair Plant were chosen as the location, and in order to enter the restricted site, audience members had to obtain special accreditation.
The performance incorporated cranes and a train, while parts of the docks were partially flooded.
The main themes of ‘Nero’ are life, rebirth, and purification. HLIBOROB also touches on some of them in their track:
‘Illuminated subway ads. Trams heading back to the depot. Shopping malls, grocery stores, street markets. NERO washes it all away’.
About HLIBOROB
The band’s story began in the Mariupol community of the Donetsk region, where vocalist Illia Miroshnyk first started out as a solo artist.
In 2024, HLIBOROB released their debut EP, ‘Donbass Blues’, featuring tracks that were included in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. In 2025, the band was nominated for the Megogo Music Awards in the ‘New Wave: Alternative / Indie Band’ category.
In 2025, the band released their debut album, ‘Nachuvaysia’. The release is divided into two parts — romantic and apocalyptic. According to the band, these are the two experiences its members are living through.
‘Nachuvaisia’ captures the contrast of coming of age during wartime, when war intertwines with the ‘ordinary problems of youth’. HLIBOROB portray the duality of the world as ‘an escape from youth amid brutalism and a black-and-white universe filled with vivid flashes of life’. Read more about the album in our article.
