Track By Tracks: Hypnosaur - Afterlife (2026)

1. Afterlife:

Bart: This is the oldest song on the record; the general structure and the melodies were written already when we were recording the EP that we released back in 2024. But back then, I thought that we were not ready to record Afterlife yet because we needed to work on the details some more. It was a wise decision not to rush with that song because it turned out that we could build the whole theme of the second longplay based on its title and lyrics.

The funny thing about Afterlife is that originally it had a drum and bass feeling to it. On the demo I wrote on my computer, the tempo was around 170, there were more synths involved, and the overall feeling was more… liquid? If that is the word I could use.

But of course, we are a rock band, so we needed to translate it to be guitar-driven, we sped it up even a little more, and it turned out to be a great song. I’m really proud of the melodies I invented there; they seem to be quite unique. I also remember our guitar player, Siedlec, when learning to play the song, he said that “when Bart comes up with a song, it involves every letter of the alphabet”. That sums up my love for scale changes in the middle of the song - if done right, they add color and character to the song, and in Afterlife, each part is in a little different key.

Mike: This is the song that originated the whole idea around the record and was the first one we worked on. Bart brought it to the band for the first time around 3 years ago, but it didn’t make it to the EP that we were working on at the time, as we were not fully satisfied with the execution.

In 2025, we took it on our tour around the Middle South Europe and played it for live audiences in pubs, bars, and bigger venues like the Soundart festival in Bucharest. After two weeks of almost every day performing it live, the song was tested and became a cornerstone of the album. One of the strongest points of the song is the drums played by Siusiak. They brutally open the whole album and build up energy throughout the track.

2. Lieflower:

Bart: This is one of my favorite songs I have ever written. The verses and the chorus are pure fun, the melody is as catchy as it can be, but there are a few surprises waiting for the listener along the way.

I can especially remember two evenings that were crucial for this song’s existence. On one evening, I was watching a football game at home when the main melody randomly played in my head, and suddenly, the next part and the chorus came along. Of course, they were still far from the final product, but the way the verse falls into the chorus, this chord progression that accelerates the song and gives power to the chorus was something that I instantly needed to record before I forget it.

Another evening that played an important role here was when I was on vacation in Spain. I wrote all the lyrics in one evening. I was so inspired that night. I was slowly swimming in an outdoor pool at night, and words and lines were just appearing in my mind. I haven’t had a good idea for the lyrics for around a year, and suddenly: poof! Everything came together within a few hours. Magical time!

Farf: My favorite part of the song is the bridge after the keytar solo. It reminds me of a certain pop song (you guess which one!), but in a very good way. I’m also really happy that Haldor Grunberg, our producer, came up with an idea to use a chorus effect on the bass here. It really expanded the whole part and gave it some space.

Mike: This song is a good example of what working as a band looks like. Bart came to us with a nearly ready song, but still, we were able to improve it together. Initially, the song started with a main guitar/keyboard riff. Then the intro with arpeggios was added at some point. The ending of the bridge section before the last chorus came to me when playing around at home. During rehearsal, I asked to try something new (I think Bart wasn’t there at the time :D), and it felt good and stuck.

3. Reality-141: 

Bart: This song started as a super-catchy guitar riff that opens the song and the verse riff that our guitarist Siedlec brought to the rehearsal. It could not stop playing in my head for a few days. I instantly felt that we needed to work on that song and put it on our next record. Later, I came up with the chorus, the bridge, and all the vocal melodies, and I believe that it became a very strong track in our discography that we will keep on playing live for a long time.

Farf: I remember a story from the first rehearsal we tried to work on this song. It was the only time we had to meet in a place we don’t usually play in (rehearsal rooms rented for hours), and there was a band before us that drank more than played. One of those guys, the most drunk probably, didn’t want to leave the room when we were setting up our gear, etc. – he was repeatedly asking if we play stoner metal and even offered that he’s gonna bring some vodka and come back to crash our rehearsal. We had to convince him that we’re not playing stoner (or metal), and he finally fucked off. And when he did, we started playing this song, which actually has one of the most metal riffs we've ever had.

Mike: This is one of my favorite tracks on the album to listen to in the car. When I bring new riffs to the guys, 9 out of 10 times their comment is: “This one is for your solo album”, but with this in particular, it sparked attention from the get-go. It is just fun to play it. I remember when Bart came up with keys that go underneath the main riff; we smiled at each other. Vocal harmonies in the chorus flow together and, for once, are easy to sing.

Guitar solo has evolved over time. Up until the recording, I played a different version, but changed my mind at the last minute and decided on the one that ended up on the album. The guys were doubtful, but I am happy with the final effect. BTW, there’s a good reason why the title is what it is.

4. Look at the Balls

Bart: This is the weirdest track on the record for sure, and it has the weirdest story behind it, too! It starts with an intro riff that you cannot find anywhere later in the song. Suddenly, when the verse starts, the guitars play something that resembles that intro riff and sounds like the intro but feels more round and natural instead of being “squarey”. The truth is, the guys once played the first riff in a different way by accident during a rehearsal, and I quickly came up with the vocal melody that fit that new version, so we decided to leave it like that for the vocal part. If that was not confusing enough, suddenly, after the second chorus, the song goes into a guitar solo, and at some point, the guitar is joined by a keyboard for a dual solo in harmony. What a trip this song is. To make it even weirder, this is one of the very few moments in our discography where our guitar player came up with some vocal and keyboard parts, and I came up with some parts of the guitar solo.

I’m pretty sure you’re interested in the title too. For some reason, “Look at the balls” was the working title of the song. We always have working titles that we eventually change when the lyrics are ready. But I wrote the lyrics of the chorus as a joke, and the guys liked it so much we decided to keep them, and so I needed to write the rest of the story to fit that concept.

Mike: Siusiak and I have a special connection when playing Look at the Balls. We kick it off, and drums and guitar intertwine during the intro. I always give it a little dance. Similarly, during the outro, we connect with Bart and play a harmonised solo.

The song is a mash-up of a few different riffs that we developed over time. The chorus was written by Farf, and the intro and bridge were brought to the band by me. Another interesting thing is that even though the intro and verses are really similar, the intro has a more ¾ vibe, and it is really satisfying when we move into verses that go straight 4/4. For me, the song has a deeper, special meaning despite its light nature.

5. Danger:

Farf: The main riff came to me out of nowhere on one of the rehearsals, sometime before the release of our last EP. Siedlec said that we should play it, and we tried working on it, but the song had a completely different guitar part and a different “chorus-like” part, which we weren’t happy with. We dropped it for a year or so, and finally, one day, I sat at home and came up with the verses and choruses. When we started playing it again, Siedlec suddenly thought of a completely new guitar riff over the main part, which basically amplified the whole thing. From this point, the rest of the music was written quite quickly. After we had the final version, we already had the feeling that it would be an ideal pick for a skating video or game like THPS, hence the idea for the music video.

Bart: Farf came up with a bass line, Siedlec added the addictive guitar riff to it. During one of the rehearsals, I improvised that vocal line and felt it perfectly fit what the guys had written. Farf came up with the idea that a scream, “kill it with fire,” would fit the chorus the best, and it really does! The only thing I needed to do next was write lyrics and kind of twist the perspective, because with the little soft heart of mine, I didn’t want to be the villain doing the killing in the song, hahaha. So the song is about the true villains whose “kill it with fire” is a life motto.

Mike: This is one of the songs that started as a riff that Farf brought to us, simple yet catchy. We tried a few different approaches. I tried different chords to accompany the bass, but in the end, we put it in the backlog as something that has potential. One day, Bart was out of town, and the three of us met by ourselves. Farf started playing the bass, and I came up with the simplest, most primitive riff. And it worked!

6. Hardwired:

Bart: The main theme in the intro was written by our guitar player, Siedlec. I immediately felt the potential in that part; it reminded me of Placebo and maybe a little Muse. For a very long time, we could not come up with any idea what to do with this riff. Eventually, I came up with the rest of the song, and it turned out to be a very cool moment to breathe in between the faster and more aggressive songs. In fact, this is probably our lightest track ever. Maybe not a ballad, but something more in that direction.

Farf: I really like the bridge (disco and stronger part after it) in this song. I think it’s really the only danceable moment on the record, and I’d like to have songs that people could dance to recorded one day. So maybe it’s going to be a hint for some future ideas?

Mike: When I brought the main riff to the band, we all agreed that it had something interesting in it. I wrote the keys for the verses and intro, but for the longest time, we couldn’t follow it up with anything. I knew that I wanted to have the staccato riff at the end of the chorus, and we tried different combinations of chords until we finally settled on the ones that felt right. The bridge disco section was written when I was away and caught me by surprise in the beginning, but I ended up digging it.

7. World of Insanity:

Bart: Sometimes there are songs that you don’t feel confident about until you hear them recorded. This one is a perfect example. I wrote it, and initially I really liked the demo. But as the time went by and we were playing it during rehearsals, I started having doubts. I am not sure why. I started asking myself questions like “Is there not too much vocals during the chorus? Maybe we should give more space to the instruments, maybe I should shut up here or there, or change the melodies”. But in the end, I decided to leave my initial ideas as they were, and what a good decision that was! When we received the first mixed version, and I gave it a listen, it instantly became one of my favorites.

And there is one more lesson we can take from this song. This one is for all the young musicians reading this. When you make a change in a song that you feel confident about, but your bandmates don’t agree, just force it. The band hated the synth arpeggio in the intro at first because I used to play something else during the rehearsals. Now they love it because they have gotten used to it. If you’re confident about a certain part as the author of the song, just stick to it. The others will realize that your idea is good after you give them enough time to get used to it.

Mike: This is one of the songs that gave me the most trouble during both rehearsals and recording. It is written and envisioned by Bart, and since he is writing his songs on a keyboard, it takes some imagination to transpose the music to the guitar fretboard. I wanted to do something different to make myself present in the song, and since it was designed by Bart, the only place where I could do that was a solo guitar section. I recorded two solo tracks a bit differently and put them on top of each other to achieve a phaser and dissonance effect. I really love the vocal harmonies Bart wrote for the choruses.

8. Alone:

Farf: I really like this song, as it’s something we’ve never done before: slow, long, and in my opinion, it’s also definitely the most atmospheric in our catalog. It’s the only song I recorded with a 75’ modded Rickenbacker and the last one I did. To be honest, I regret (a little;)) playing it only on “Alone”, as it’s my favorite bass tone on the whole album. I love both the depth and crunch that Haldor (our producer) managed to capture here.

Bart: While it’s not my personal favorite, I’ve already heard people saying that this is our best song ever. Another lesson learned: it’s natural that different people might like different things! The funny part is that Farf, our bass player, is always the one who says that long songs are boring. And suddenly, he came up with the skeleton for the longest song in our discography. But I’m perfectly fine with that. Now the doors are open for the next record to feature an 8-minute-long epic that I might write, haha!

Mike: This is one of our most atmospheric songs. Farf often brings simple, yet unorthodox licks to work with, and it was certainly one of them. Siusiak’s drumming builds a feeling of uneasiness. Bart’s vocals are rough and brutal. This is a very different song from our usual ones. It always reminds me of a lonely stroll around the town at midnight.

9. Into the Sun:

Farf: I really wasn’t sure about this song until very late into songwriting, but eventually I really love the choruses and their power. Also, there’s a story behind the second part of the song which I’m really proud of too – we weren’t sure what to do after the second chorus and I don’t know how or why, but suddenly I remembered the scene from School of Rock when Jack Black tells Rivkah Reyes to just play “G-G-G-G-G-G-G-G” as it was her character’s first contact with bass guitar. I started playing the same, Siedlec came up with a riff on the spot, and we worked most of this part out basically within 20 minutes. It’s also the only song I recorded on my ‘77 Rickenbacker 4000-turned 4001, and it sounds great here. I’m also happy with the theremin part I recorded here – I bought myself one sometime last year as I wanted to have a new instrument and was thinking about a theremin for a long time already, but I had no particular plan to use it on the record. When we wrote the finishing part of the song and decided that it was going to be the last part of the whole album, I decided to give it a try. I came to the studio before the other guys one day and did just two attempts – but the first one is the one that made the final cut.

Bart: I wrote the first half of this song, but months passed, and I had no idea how to continue. So one time we just wrote the second part together during a rehearsal, and what an album finale it became! Maybe the song itself could never be a single in its current form, but it fits the atmosphere of the album so well that I absolutely love it.

Mike: Bart wrote the main riffs for verses and chorus some time ago, and since we didn’t have an idea what to do with them at the time, we banked them and replayed from time to time during the rehearsals. It wasn’t until we were already polishing the songs for the record that Farf began droning on the G, and I played some chords underneath. It caught our ears, and we played it for something like 10 minutes straight, trying different combinations and drum patterns. The final touch was a theremin that Farf brought to the recording that gave this song some otherworldly vibes.

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