Split, Croatia is not only the bewitching location where a number of scenes for the Game of Thrones series were filmed, it is also home to punk rock sensation Sič, a project by Antonio Strižić and Toma Bedalov. The nine tracks that make up their full-time debut album Umna Mapa are a tribute to their high school days, when they started this band—then still a four-piece—and dreamed of recording these tunes. Now that those dreams have come true, the duo appears to have found the right balance of dynamic guitar riffs, heavy but kind of groovy drum rolls, and refreshing vocals that sometimes lean towards rap.

In case you, like me, don’t speak the language, the guys explain: “The songs are about first teenage loves, about growing up, about poor public transport, about some problems in society and, in the end, about us.” They kick things off with Tražin Ritam (translated: looking for rhythm), the highlight here, that sings about a boy who is distracting himself with music because he doesn’t want to think about ‘her’. What follows is all equally energetic, until they close with the ballad Malo Jutro (little morning), to arrive in the present.

Umna Mapa is out now digitally (self-released).

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