Mertvyi Piven – Poezii khmilnykh dvoriv

"I died of delirium tremens 
and my ashes have long since rotted 
But, guys, to hell 
I drank in Kyiv courtyards!" © Yurko Pozayakах!

Mertviy Piven (Dead Rooster) are researchers of all things and keepers of texts who have been shaping Ukrainian intellectual rock and roll for over 35 years. Their music is a unique symbiosis of rock and poetry, uniting several generations of listeners and each time surprising with unexpected creative solutions and collaborations. After the reunion, the band presented their 14th studio album, “Poezii khmilnykh dvoriv” The album became a new turn in their creativity and the first record after the reunion in 2023. The release was named after the poem of the same name by Yurko Pozayak — an ode to the Kyiv courtyards of the 80s and 90s, where music, freedom and the bohemian spirit of the era were born.

The band “Mertviy Piven” was founded in 1989 by young students: Lyubko Futorsky, Misko Barbara, Romko Ros and Yaryna Yakubʼyak. The band owes its name to the weathervane from the “Old Lviv” coffee shop, where future musicians liked to gather. From the very beginning of its existence, the band began to form its own corporate style - a sharp play on words, which is often combined with social criticism. The rebellious spirit and atypical arrangement of MP allowed it to quickly establish itself as one of the leading rock bands of Ukraine in the 1990s. In 2011, the band actually ceased its creative activity. In the fall of 2021, the co-founder and vocalist of the band Misko Barbara died. On February 20, 2023, the founder and long-time vocalist of the band, Lyubomyr Futorsky, passed away. However, on May 22, 2023, “Pivni” returned to the stage, performing at a concert - a presentation of Serhiy Zhadan’s book “Ptah. Songs that became poems” at the Lviv Opera. The band introduced a new vocalist, Lviv musician Yurko Roketsky.

“Poetry of the Hop Yards” is an exquisite blend of poetry and the signature “Pivniv” sound. The tracklist includes lyrics by Oleksa Stefanovych, Mike Johansen, as well as modern classics Serhiy Zhadan and Yuriy Izdryk. This is an album-reflection, an album-mood that takes us back to the times when life was in full swing in Kyiv courtyards, where music and poetry lived and were created freely, generously seasoned with cheap alcohol.

For the first time on vinyl, the TILKITAK Records team is working with the band’s new material and preparing a release for printing, which will be released in August 2026. Double vinyl printed on black record, 180g. Limited edition: 299 copies, the first 99 of which contain the band’s autographs. Inside each copy you will find a poster and a photo insert, the lyrics are arranged on illustrated envelopes.

On the outside there is a hand-numbered Obi-Strip, which emphasizes the collectible component of the edition.