Yangola by Hanna Svirska

Hanna Svirska is an electronic artist based in Kyiv, Ukraine. Hanna's music combines old ambient and new-age with contemporary electronica and folk motives. She uses a granular synthesis of nature sound, choral singing, and recordings from the air. Her work is an experiment with textures, sampler synthesis, and vocal loops.

Hanna’s debut solo single, “Save Yourself,” was released in late spring of 2021. Ukrainian label “System” (“Cистема”) released her first EP, “Shepit,” at the end of 2021. Her last EP, “Echo,” was released in the summer of 2022, also on the “Systema” label.

Standard Deviation is thrilled to present Hanna’s latest work, YANGOLA. The central themes of the EP are celebration of spring and faith in the revival. This motive is explored through the mysticism of Ukrainian myths, but also finds a more literal meaning in the circumstances and setting in which the EP was produced.

Exploring the traditional themes of ancient Ukrainian folklore, YANGOLA creates a story based on personal and shared mythologies: in ‘Vesnianka’, the protagonist is trying to find an angel, but there are a lot of skeptics around her who don't believe in the angel's existence or do but have given up searching. The angel appears only in spring when the earth has the most power, preparing for its renewal. If someone sees the angel's light, they will begin the regeneration process of the Universe. The Black Beast (‘Chornyi Zvir’) will turn to ashes, and the young Cossack will not die under a tall willow tree (‘Vysoka Verba’). The characters trying to find the angel get lost in their dreams and wander through the woods. They travel in time, plunging into the achievements of their ancestors. The name YANGOLA (derived from the Ukrainian word for angel) stands for an imagined musical genre, like a lullaby, legend, or ballad. YANGOLA is a genre of finding renewal, light, and infinite hope.

The release is supported with a remix of ’Chornyi Zvir’ by the Parisian audiovisual experimentalist and Subtext Records affiliate, Aho Ssan.

YANGOLA is coming out June 8th, the single ”VESNIANKA” dropping May 4th.

Established in 2020, Standard Deviation is a multidisciplinary label platform, working on the intersection of music, art and publishing. We aim to foster creative collaborative exchange between an aspiring Ukrainian scene and a global community.

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