Belarusian-Polish collective СОЮЗ (SOYUZ) blend Eastern European melancholy with Brazilian music, jazz and sophisticated pop. They come to Prague with their new album KROK, recorded between São Paulo, Warsaw and Stockholm.

СОЮЗ (SOYUZ) were formed in Minsk by multi-instrumentalists Alex Chumak, the band's principal composer and arranger, and Mikita Arlou. After relocating to Warsaw in 2022, they were joined by drummer Albert Karch and guitarist Igor Wiśniewski. The band's name translates as „union“, reflecting the collaborative nature of their work: while SOYUZ's recordings feature a wider circle of musicians, their live performances are reimagined by the quartet, leaving space for the individual voices of each member and collective improvisation.

The band gained wider international recognition with their 2022 album Force of the Wind, released by UK label Mr Bongo. Inspired by Brazilian music of the 1960s and 1970s, the record brought together MPB, jazz, folk and orchestral pop, with guest appearances from Kate NV and Brazilian singer-songwriter Sessa. It was followed by appearances at festivals including Primavera Sound, XJAZZ, OFF Festival and ESNS, as well as extensive touring across European clubs.

Their new album KROK takes the band's musical world another step forward. It is SOYUZ's first full-length record written primarily in Belarusian, with Portuguese and Japanese also woven into the album. Recorded in São Paulo, Warsaw and Stockholm, it features acclaimed Brazilian musician Tim Bernardes and Japanese composer Manami Kakudo. Folk ballads meet jazz-driven pop, lush string and woodwind arrangements and echoes of Brazilian music.

KROK means „step“ in Belarusian, and themes of movement, migration and embracing uncertainty run throughout the album. Rather than turning them into grand statements, SOYUZ search for subtle moments of beauty, dreams and a sense of home that sometimes has to be rebuilt somewhere else. The result is music that feels intimate and far-reaching, nostalgic and unmistakably contemporary at the same time.