Croatian band Media Stres offer up a feisty alternative rock sound that combines elements of garage and hard rock and they describe as “energetic, explosive, diverse.”
Media Stres, who are only the second Croatian band we’ve interviewed, formed in 2012 when guitarist Karlo Komorski and drummer Matej Obadić left a covers band to start playing original music. They soon met bassist Aleksandar Hutinec and played as a trio for four years before bringing Arian Peharda on board, but the band got tired and decided to do their own thing for five years. But they met up again at a barbecue in 2023, realised they missed the camaraderie of playing together, and began work on their comeback album Diorama Mirage, which was released in January.
On the sound they’ve created, the band told us: “The Media Stres sound is a dynamic collision of alternative rock, progressive rock, garage energy, and hard rock intensity. It balances raw power with intricate arrangements, shifting effortlessly between heavy riffs, melodic hooks, and moments of atmospheric tension. There’s a sense of urgency in every track — unpredictable but always grounded in a strong rhythmic drive.”
To give us a taste for this, the band sent us the brilliantly named Narcissistic Rabbit Holes, the second track from their new album. It opens up with lively drums that are joined by a bustling bassline and a stabbing guitar riff. Angsty vocals led by the opening lines “I’m a stone-cold killer, I’m a born parasite, I’m that angry motherfucker, I’m like dynamite” join in, feeding into cries of “Watch them fight.” The instrumentals bridge into a second verse and chorus, which drops into a little guitar riff and engaging vocals repeating “Put on your black tie, Tell a little lie, Stand on your feet, Play it on repeat.” A funky guitar solo jumps in and layered vocals tee up a lively conclusion led by repeats of “Narcisstic rabbit holes.”
On the track, they told us: “The song has garnered positive reception from the public for its raw delivery and confrontational sound. Narcissistic Rabbit Holes is an explosive, seething alt‑rock banger fast, confrontational, and emotionally charged. You’re diving into a soundscape built for conflict and catharsis.”
The album is packed with equally lively tracks like Malter Ego, which opens up with a fun bassline and cowbell hits, and the more singalong Subtle Art of Not Giving, which opens up with the lines “My dog ate flowers, ‘Til he became a plant, Now he’s got powers, So he barks for hours every day.” There’s also more progressive elements with tracks like Embers on the Ground, before things get really funky with Breakdown and concluding with the excellent, slightly Queens of the Stone Age-esque Revolution Flag.
The Media Stres sound is influenced by the band members’ interests in a variety of types and genres of music. That ranges from the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, Nirvana, Audioslave and Biffy Clyro through to Radiohead, Muse, and Interpol.
And on what inspires them to write music, they told us: “The act of creating something new and unique while escaping the worries of everyday life is what inspires us to write music. We are drawn to exploring the thoughts people often overlook, the ideas that rarely surface but linger deep within, waiting to be acknowledged.”
As mentioned, Media Stres are only the second Croatian band we’ve interviewed after Achachak way back in 2021, so we asked them for insight into Croatian music. “The Croatian rock and metal scene has a lot of bands, and very diverse bands,” they told us. “Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of places to play such music and the public is not so keen on such genres. So it doesn’t matter if you sing in Croatian or English, it’s hard to get to the public for bands. But nevertheless, bands are working hard and producing a lot of great music, so we invite everyone to explore the Croatian rock and metal scene more.”
There’s plenty more to come from Media Stres, who are currently working on a music video to accompany Narcissistic Rabbit Holes and live versions of tracks from Diorama Mirage. They also hope to play gigs around Croatia and neighbouring countries in the near future.
You can follow Media Stres on Facebook and Instagram, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Deezer and YouTube.
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