Rijeka’s cult alternative band Grč has dropped a new live album, Harmonija Spazmofilija, available on all streaming platforms and as a physical LP release in collaboration with Dallas Records. To mark the release, the band is also unveiling a new single, “Crne rukavice”, following the previously released single “Stršljen”.
Grč are one of the few Rijeka bands born in the new wave era that are still active today, along with Let 3 and Grad, which makes them a one-of-a-kind phenomenon, not just on the local scene but in the wider regional history of alternative music. From the early eighties to the present day, Grč have remained a symbol of the dark, ritualistic and avant-garde aesthetic of the Rijeka underground, and their discography includes the cult song Krv je moje svjetlo i moja tama, a monumental musical setting of Ivan Goran Kovačić’s poem Jama.
The album Harmonija Spazmofilija was recorded at the Rijeka fish market at the close of the Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture program, under special conditions and the COVID restrictions of the time, which only deepened the feeling of isolation, anxiety and intensity that defines the performance itself. The album is a one-of-a-kind meeting of the raw energy of Rijeka alternative rock and the orchestral splendor of a section of the Rijeka Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Zoran Majstorović.
“Crne rukavice”, one of the best-known songs from the legendary 1987 album Sloboda Narodu, has been given a new, monumental look through the collaboration of the band and the orchestra. The intense, dark, apocalyptic soundscape is pushed even further by string and woodwind arrangements that give the song a new dimension and prove just how powerfully classical music can work in an alternative and rock context.
Harmonija Spazmofilija is the band’s first live album released on vinyl, but also a first-of-its-kind project in which Grč step into the world of orchestral and classical music. The result is a one-of-a-kind musical experience that blurs the line between underground rock aesthetics and high art.
Yesterday, a special promo event also took place at Dallas Music Shop Rijeka, bringing together three major happenings on the home scene. The audience gets the chance to experience, all in one place, the announcement of Paraf’s big concert at Pogon (May 29), the unveiling of Paraf’s new single and video “Refleksija”, and the promotion of Grč’s new album/LP Grč.
The Rijeka Symphony Orchestra section backing the band on the single and album consists of eight violins, two violas, two cellos, a double bass, bassoon, flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone and saxophone, played by: Eduard Kraljić, Goran Cvijanović, Dajana Marcelja Pašalić, Aned Sngryan, Osman Eyublu, Marijan Orešković, Ivan Vagroš, Željko Pichler, Sebastian Mavrić, Ivica Lukanec, Alberto Surina, Renata Cepanec Marjanović, Flavia Madghiele, Giovanni Giovanese, Golnar Mohajeri, Marijana Žepina, Vlaho Prohaska, Bernard Balaž and Rajko Ergić.
Grč will present their new live album on May 29, 2026 at Pogon in Rijeka, where they’ll play alongside Kraljeve Termite at the farewell concert of the legendary Rijeka band Paraf. Besides songs from the new album, the crowd will get a cross-section of the band’s older and newer material, along with the audio-visual experience Grč have been known for over decades. Tickets for the show are on sale through Eventim.
Grč are: Zoran Štajdohar Zoff (vocals), Orijen Modrušan Ori (guitar), Igor Stevanović Stiv (guitar, backing vocals), Borna Padovan (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Borna Šućurović (drums).
The orchestral arrangements were written by Zoran Majstorović, and the album and single were produced by Matej Zec, Zoran Majstorović and Grč.
See you at Pogon kulture – May 29.
Album tracklist:
1. Bogovi
2. Gospodari moći
3. Stršljen
4. Životinja
5. Crne rukavice
6. Sveta krv
7. Noćas se Beograd pali
8. Krv je moje svjetlo i moja tama
