Dark Tree Bark Share "Live Beneath The Mammoth"

Some bands perform songs; others deconstruct them until they are born anew. With the release of their live EP, Live Beneath The Mammoth, the Zagreb-based collective Dark Tree Bark has firmly planted itself in the latter camp.

Released on April 9, 2026, via Geenger Records, the EP features three tracks from their 2024 debut album, Kameni spavač (Stone Sleeper). However, these aren’t mere reproductions—they are reinterpretations, captured in the unique atmosphere of the KUC Travno cultural center.

The recording location is no coincidence. Situated in the shadow of “Mamutica”—a gargantuan concrete residential complex that defines the Zagreb skyline—the venue acts as an acoustic extension of the city itself. For founder, guitarist, and vocalist Josip Šustić, the location holds a personal, biographical weight:

“I didn’t grow up in Zagreb, but fragments of my childhood remain buried beneath those walls. My grandparents lived there in the early ’90s, and it was perhaps the start of my fascination with the city—a fascination that would later shape, or perhaps slightly corrupt, my musical taste,” says Šustić.

Dark Tree Bark functions as a creative hub for some of the most prominent musicians on the Croatian independent scene. The ensemble brings together members from renowned projects such as Mimika Orchestra, Roj Osa, Kries, Chui, Nemeček, and Skotni vrag.

Musically, the band orbits the intersections of prog-rock, post-rock, math-rock, and jazz-rock. Yet, these genre tags serve only as markers rather than boundaries. Their focus lies on the tension between control and collapse—the volatile space where composition meets raw, live improvisation.

As Šustić explains, this EP acts as a “timeline correction”: “The first album was largely recorded before the band existed in its full, current form. This live EP is our attempt to correct that line and show how the band actually breathes.”

The EP was recorded by Hrvoje Nikšić, with mixing by TLLOA and mastering by Filip Vrtarić. The entire session has been visually documented and is available on YouTube, featuring cinematography by Bojan Koštić and Konrad Mulvaj.

Though they are a relatively fresh name, Dark Tree Bark has already made an impact at festivals like BearStone and iconic local clubs like Močvari and Palach. With Live Beneath The Mammoth, they have succeeded in creating something that defies simple archiving: a record of the moment a band stops playing songs and starts playing itself.

You can stream “Live Beneath The Mammoth” via Geenger Records and watch the full performance on the band’s official YouTube channel.