Mars_999 bridges darkness & euphoria on haunting single, "Ešte Nie Sme Stratení"
Slovakian artist Mars_999, the creative alias of Juraj Péč, delivers a staggering new statement with Ešte Nie Sme Stratení, a track that feels as intimate as a confession and as widescreen as a cinematic epic. It’s a singular work — deeply rooted in Péč’s personal history and cultural identity, yet bold enough in sound and scope to speak to listeners far beyond his homeland.
The track, whose title translates to We’re Not Lost Yet, is the second glimpse into Péč’s highly anticipated debut album arriving this fall. Written, performed, and recorded entirely by the artist himself, the song carries the weight of solitary creation, yet its final form feels anything but isolated. Produced by Rohin Brown at Prague’s Faust Studio and mastered by Matt Colton, the track radiates a dark, immersive energy while still embracing moments of transcendent beauty.
At its core lies a lo-fi guitar riff that scratches its way into the mix, recalling the uneasy textures of classic post-punk. It’s a sound that feels rough-hewn and immediate, evoking dark basements, dim city streets, and late-night existential spirals. That tension is propelled forward by clattering, industrial-tinged drums — an insistent pulse that anchors the chaos.
Analog pads swell into the foreground, and Péč’s aching vocals, delivered entirely in Slovakian, soar above the tumult with ghostly grace. His voice trembles, stretches, and eventually rises with a cathartic, desperate hopefulness. It’s the sound of someone clawing through the static to find a connection.
There’s a masterful push and pull at work here — gritty verses clash with expansive choruses, guitar riffs coexist with lush pads, and vocal lines are draped in rich, atmospheric effects. It’s a song that refuses to sit comfortably in any single genre. While its DNA nods to post-punk and darkwave, it also flirts with euphoric electronic pop, shoegaze, and even cinematic soundtrack work.
Most impressively, Ešte Nie Sme Stratení feels deeply personal without veering into insularity. Péč taps into his own experiences of uncertainty, loss, and perseverance, but the emotions he conjures are universally recognizable. In a world still grappling with fragmentation and alienation, this is a track that reminds us of our shared, stubborn hope — the refusal to believe we are truly lost.
As a preview of what’s to come on his upcoming album, it’s an exhilarating promise. Mars_999 has found a voice uniquely his own. Ešte Nie Sme Stratení isn’t just a single — it’s a revelation. There’s even a music video that we’ve attached above that really gives the visual stimulation the song needs the most. So with all that being said, go ahead and click those links below to listen up and to stay tuned for more in the works!
Listen to “Ešte Nie Sme Stratení”
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