Biography
Russian group Life on Venus fuses joy with melancholy inside its immersive, atmospheric strain of shoegaze. Works including the 2019 album Odes to the Void deliver surging layers of glistening guitar alongside lyrics that confront apprehension toward the unfamiliar.
Formed in 2015 by Moscow State University students, the project began as a quartet that rehearsed in dormitory rooms and modest studios while shaping a hazy, bittersweet dream-pop aesthetic. A two-song demo called Distant Lights appeared via self-release in March 2016, drawing early attention from shoegaze-focused blogs. By the time the band tracked its debut full-length, membership had grown to five: Dima (guitar/vocals), Sergey (guitar), Marat (bass), Aline (vocals), and Gulya (drums). Encounters, the first album, received a digital release in March 2017 and arrived on CD through Shelflife the next August. The EP Departure served as a preview for the second album, Odes to the Void, which surfaced in 2019 and received a vinyl edition the following year. Both the EP Live at Flanger Studio and the track “It’s Alright” came out in 2020.
Formed in 2015 by Moscow State University students, the project began as a quartet that rehearsed in dormitory rooms and modest studios while shaping a hazy, bittersweet dream-pop aesthetic. A two-song demo called Distant Lights appeared via self-release in March 2016, drawing early attention from shoegaze-focused blogs. By the time the band tracked its debut full-length, membership had grown to five: Dima (guitar/vocals), Sergey (guitar), Marat (bass), Aline (vocals), and Gulya (drums). Encounters, the first album, received a digital release in March 2017 and arrived on CD through Shelflife the next August. The EP Departure served as a preview for the second album, Odes to the Void, which surfaced in 2019 and received a vinyl edition the following year. Both the EP Live at Flanger Studio and the track “It’s Alright” came out in 2020.
Albums
