Neven: Our Sound and Identity Still Remain Fluid

Neven is a hardcore band that formed around 2021 in Belgrade. Their name comes from the Serbian word for the marigold, the sun-loving flower known for its bright yellow-orange blooms. The flower is also known for its resilience in poor soil, and ability to repel garden pests. It’s the perfectly fitting name for a positive hardcore band, but in the Serbian context, it also carries another layer of meaning: Neven was the title of a popular 1970s children’s TV show, itself inspired by the magazine founded by celebrated Serbian writer Jovan Jovanović Zmaj, which ran from 1880 to 1911.

The band’s singer, Miloš Stevanović, got into hardcore at just nine years old thanks to bands like Gorilla Biscuits, and growing up with a stepfather who played in the local scene. When I first heard Neven’s demo in 2022, it felt like discovering Serbia’s best-kept secret. Five short, thinly recorded, and explosive songs carrying a positive message tied to Krishna consciousness and spirituality. What grabbed me the most were the passionate and even a bit rapping vocals, pouring out emotion in a way where you just let it all loose. At the time, they barely had any online presence, which somehow made it even cooler.

About a year later, I bumped into the band members shopping groceries at a local Billa supermarket. That same night, I caught them live at Antibal (Antiprom), a high school graduation festival. They played in a super trendy, hipster venue that’s absolutely unsuited for hardcore punk, but they were basically the only band I cared to see that night. A few months later, I booked them to play Sofia Edge Day ’23, which ended up being a really important show for the band’s future development.

Since then, they dropped their first vinyl EP through Geenger Records, and earlier this year, they released their latest EP, Zakon ljubavi. This time, the sound got way heavier, bringing in even beatdown elements, much to my personal disliking. In 2025, Neven are playing shows all over Europe, spreading their positive message, and even opening for a major band like Soulfly in Belgrade later this year. I caught up with original members Miloš and Relja before their return to Sofia for this year’s DIY Mayday Fest.

I was hooked on Neven’s 2022 demo, but I didn’t catch you live until 2023. How did the band come together, and when did you play live for the first time?

Miloš: It took a long time to start a band, but when we put the whole team together, the music was finished fast. Only our guitar player, Relja, and I (Miloš) are from the original crew. Our first gig was at AKAB Okretnica, which was, until it shut down, the most important DIY punk, hardcore and metal venue in Belgrade.

Neven’s sound has clear youth crew/straight edge and Krishna influences, but the line-up has never been 100% straight edge or devotee. Some people hesitate when a band stands for a set of values and beliefs that not every member personally follows. How do you respond to this criticism and how do you manage these differences within the band?

Miloš: When you read the lyrics as they are, you can see that 90 percent of them are common topics relatable to everyone. And when it’s about the other 10 percent, I personally stand behind them. It’s impossible, even in a straight edge band, for members to agree about everything—especially in the Balkans, where it is almost impossible to start any kind of band. In the end, we never talked about Neven as a straight edge or Krishnacore band; it’s mostly how others perceive us. But you know, those are the central topics of my life.

Relja: That’s a topic that Miki [friendly for Miloš] and I discussed many times, as we are the only members throughout all the lineup changes who are straight edge. Most likely, both of us felt some amount of imposter syndrome when we were first invited to play Edge Day shows, but ultimately I think the most important thing is that it’s not cynical or dishonest since straight edge values are something deeply personal to both of us. If we can show young people listening to our music that there is something empowering about being true to oneself and keeping a clear head, I think that’s undeniably a good thing, even though not all members are straight edge. Vaishnavism and devotion, for example, aren’t things that shape my life, but I don’t think that makes the lyrics Miki writes any less honest.

To be honest, Zakon ljubavi isn’t my thing. I can’t stand the beatdown parts, so I’ll stick with the earlier releases. Still, you always put out great energy at shows. What led to this change in sound—line‑up changes or something else? And since you sing in Serbian, could you walk listeners who don’t speak the language through the main themes on this EP?

Miloš: Actually, it was not the line-up change. I always wanted Neven to sound this way, and I especially “hate” our EP U svakom srcu gore svetla. What changed is that Relja and I finally agreed on the sound. And yes, it’s true that Tim’s double pedaling gave it the perfect touch.

The name of the new EP means Law of Love. “Blagoslov neznanja” (Blissful Ignorance) is about straight edge, “Samilost” (Compassion) is about vegetarianism and general non-violence, “Gour Krsna” is about a nice devotee, and “Prvi simptom Kali Juge” (First Symptom of Kali Yuga) is about the insensitive times we are dealing with.

Relja: At the time of recording, we really felt like the new EP finally encapsulated something that we really like to hear when listening to hardcore. I think it’s the first time we recorded a whole release that Miki and I would actually listen to if we found it on YouTube or something, haha.

When we started the band, we didn’t really have a clear idea of how Neven should sound, and throughout the years we’ve just been looking for something that feels right. I think the shift to the beatdown-influenced songs actually came about when we first played Edge Day in Sofia with our friends from xChokex and TRUExFEELING. The energy of their music really kicked all of us in the ass, and we had a lot of fun writing and playing the Zakon ljubavi songs. I feel like our sound and identity remain sort of fluid, and I can completely see us going in a different, more groovy direction in the future.

Serbia has gone through heavy political turmoil this year. Do the current tensions and social protests seep into Neven’s music, or do you purposely keep the focus inward and spiritual? What are your observations, and what change do you hope to see?

Miloš: It would be a better question for Relja since he is more involved in protests than me. When it’s about lyrics, I purposely avoid those topics since I do not think they are central and everlasting considering human life and happiness. It’s good when people have good motives and are looking for change. What I think, and what I am afraid of, is that material change is mostly an illusion, as it was repeatedly proven in the bloody human history—especially in Serbia since the ’90s.

Relja: The (as of this interview) ongoing student protests are something that has taken over most of my life in the last four months, and it’s something I’ve really given myself into. I think there is a lot of valuable work to be done, both in terms of raising collective consciousness and pushing towards amelioration of the deep socio-political crisis in Serbia.

However, to me Neven’s value has always been in that the focus is on introspection and personal empowerment. I see both the struggles for self-growth and political struggle as separate battles that have to be fought in parallel, but at the core of my political beliefs, I think that a healthy relationship with the self and understanding of our connectedness to all humans, all animals, all plants, and beyond are foundational to a healthy society.

I’ve noticed a growing trend of people into yoga and spirituality aligning with right‑wing rhetoric, conspiracy theories, or simply turning a blind eye to social issues. What are your thoughts on that current?

Miloš: There are many of them, just like there are many of them in all social groups. As I grow older, I am trying not to see people “colorblind.” Of course, that does not mean making compromises with right-wing individuals, and of course, there are a lot more sketchy people in religious and spiritual environments. But I am searching for the wise and unique, not the “ultras.”

Relja: It seems like it’s very easy for right-wing people (both far-right and centrist-leaning) to focus on the aesthetics of spirituality while believing in heinous things. There are many such people in the hardcore, punk, metal, and other alternative scenes. I try to have a nuanced understanding of what societal factors may push and guide individuals to such places, but I am steadfast in my belief that hateful people have absolutely no place in society.

I remember hearing about a Krishnacore zine from Serbia that was published back in the ’90s, though I can’t recall the name. I’m sure some older hardcore folks were into the whole thing, plus there were some great straight edge adjacent bands like Unison, Strive For More, Force Union, The Answer is Still No, and Stonewall. As younger people, did you try to connect with any of the older Krishna or straight edge heads from the local scene?

Miloš: I knew some for a longer time. Cobe from Austerity used to tattoo me, Djole also from Austerity is my stepfather’s good friend, and I sometimes speak with Pandža from Austerity on Facebook. The only one that I know who is still a devotee and in the hardcore scene is Milomir Murari Chaitanya from Strive For More and First Flame. He actually connected me with Serbian devotees when I was just starting to go into the whole thing. Also, I know Dario (STATICØ, ex-Lets Grow) pretty well.

You’ve been playing a lot lately, and I’ve spotted Neven stickers all over: Sofia, Novi Sad, Zagreb, Vienna, you name it. Do you feel like the DIY scenes in the Balkans and Central Europe are becoming more and more connected?

Miloš: Absolutely! And it’s gonna get even more crazy and connected, believe me.

Relja: It seems to me the connectedness never went away, but now that hardcore is on a bit of an upswing in the region, I think those connections are about to get even stronger and reach even further. I’m very grateful to have friends from all over Europe because of the hardcore scene!

It’s sad to bring this up, but there have been recent allegations of sexual assault involving bands that shared former members with Neven. Can you speak on how the band has handled accountability, and what lessons you’ve learned about how to prevent situations like this from happening again?

Miloš: Why would we learn the lesson? It was not a member of our band. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to prevent this kind of stuff. The only option is to stop being involved with that kind of people.

Relja: I think the scene had a serious reality check with the incidents in question last year. The victims had been coming forward for years, and it turned out in both cases that the incidents had been essentially open secrets in their respective circles.

In my opinion, the behavior of all the band members who protected and shielded the abusers from responsibility was, and is, not just irresponsible but extremely dangerous. Even though the hardcore scene overall tends to be relatively “progressive” on topics of misogyny and gender equality, it nevertheless ultimately seems to be a male-dominated space (at least in Serbia), and the assumptions about the world that men take for granted play a huge factor in shielding abusers. There was very little, if any, consideration given to the fact that sexual assault and rape leave terrifying and lasting consequences on the victims, and that perhaps that’s more important than playing shows with their abuser buddies—with (in some cases) multiple serious allegations.

Rape culture is absolutely real and manifests itself in various ways, and it is extremely important to understand the societal causes of abusive behavior so that there can even be a discussion about resolving them. It would be real bad to ignore the fact that casual misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia are rampant in many parts of the scene here, and in my opinion, that is a very good indicator that women’s, LGBTQIA+, and trans issues often aren’t taken seriously in parts of the scene. And when women’s issues are little more than a laughing stock for the bros of the scene, it’s clear that the results can be horrible.

The arguments that were made against the victims who came forward against members of both bands completely mirror the same arguments that are commonly made against victims of rape and sexual abuse more broadly: Why hadn’t they come forward earlier? Why hadn’t they taken the abusers to court? Those, as well as myriad disgusting insults and insinuations, have been used against the victims, while completely ignoring the fact that we live in a world where victims of sexual assault and rape are serially mistreated by the courts, by the media, and by broader society.

In our country, women who come forward (especially against well-liked people in positions of power) are a priori accused of lying, the media makes all aspects of their lives public, while the courts let their abusers off with a light warning. Ultimately, this is a huge and serious stain on the regional scene, but it’s very important to realize that there are surely many more cases that are unreported and many more people whose scene status protects them from consequences.

It is, however, much more important to realize the humanity of the victims who came forward, that their lives have been deeply affected by the actions of their abusers, and that it is imperative we all keep this in mind every time a person comes forward with such claims.

One thing that bothers me when I come to shows in Serbia is that people still smoke inside venues. Is that something you’ve ever addressed as a band, and do you see it more as an issue tied to the older punk scene?

Miloš: There are so many things to address when it comes to those topics. My biggest hate goes toward people spilling alcohol tendentiously. I always try to address this stuff, as much as I can. I think some people may have started hating me because of it, haha. It’s not tied to old punk, it’s tied to Kali Yuga.

Relja: I hate that we don’t have an indoor smoking ban in Serbia, but I think it’s inevitable. I can’t stop people from smoking cigarettes and weed at shows or spilling alcohol, but I do think that stuff is distasteful. More importantly, it’s a literal health hazard!!! I don’t want my health damaged because someone doesn’t feel like waiting to go outside to smoke…

I feel like there’s a lot of materialism and uniformity in today’s hardcore scene. Many bands have a similar look, there’s tons of merch and records, and kids seem to build their identities around whatever’s getting hyped at the moment. As a band with a spiritual message, is that something you think about often?

Miloš: I love uniformity! Of course, depending on the motives again. This music always had the style, the merch, the vinyls, the whole story behind it. To be honest, I feel like Neven is too specific—I would like to be more classically hardcore. What I agree on is that not only in the hardcore scene, but in any subculture, people are getting too identified. I love hardcore, it’s a big part of my life, but it’s not the only thing that I have, right?

Relja: In a very shallow sense, I have some very materialistic tendencies, haha. I love making and owning merch, I love sneakers, basketball jerseys, and that kind of stuff in general! I think having vices like that is okay as long as there is a healthy dose of self-awareness involved.

More broadly, I am very bothered by how aestheticized every aspect of life—from culture and art to politics—has become. Especially these days, when this tendency has limited the scope of discourse. In the attempt to group and organize everything, we lost a lot of valuable words to describe the more complex, beautiful, and meaningful aspects of the human experience, haha.

Thanks for the interview! So, what’s next for Neven? Are you working on a full-length? Will you disappoint me with even more mosh parts and metallic breakdowns?

Miloš: Next is possibly an album. But we are slowing down a bit after September, because I am moving to study in the Netherlands. Anyway, when new music comes out, you are definitely gonna be disappointed, because we just started with the breakdown stuff. Cheers!

Relja: I hope we can finally get to work on the full-length. It’s been discussed many times internally before, but I’m excited to see what we can come up with in terms of sound and swag. Hopefully, some cool band will take us on a world tour as well, haha!