WLVS 4x

A trio from Samara in a stripped-down lineup: guitar, bass, drums. WLVS (short for Wolves) deliver music that’s powerful, charged, and intense. Bassist Max Smirnov handles the vocals. They once sang in English (The Last Gang in Town, 2013), but since Человек человеку волк (2015, they’ve switched to Russian – and thankfully so.

Унисон (2023)

Selected for the video, but listen. Track on Bandcamp. Video directed by Yaroslav Dmitriev.

Дорога до вечности (2020)

In spring 2020. after a long break, Дорога до вечности (The Road to Eternity) was released. The year before, the band parted ways with guitarist Aleksandr – it happens even in the best marriages, and also in trios. With a new guitarist, it was business as usual – aside from one minor complication: two-thirds of the band now answer to Max.

Here’s the title track, from the same album as Afterlife, Лимб, and В глазах бездомных псов.
Lyrics are available on the track’s Bandcamp page.

Lost Kids

From March 2019. With a cool video and a pro-life message (сейчас мы выбираем жить – now we choose to live), in spite of, for instance, feeling lost.

Lyrics on the track’s Bandcamp page. Check out live versions in full color or black-and-white. Also, see the Lost Kids Cover + Lyrics (mandjzi, 2020 – the channel could use more subscribers).

Миражи (2020, video 2023)

Complications and a tough year were capped off with Миражи (Mirages). If this is an introduction to what’s to come, no complaints here. Waiting, though, for the day someone finally brings WLVS from Samara to the Netherlands. The whole editorial team will be there.

Lyrics on the track’s Bandcamp page. 

More WLVS

• ЧЧВ (2025)
• Город из руин (2018)
• Дотла (2016, film 2017)
• Бесстрашным матерям (2016)
• Вместо монеты – гвоздь (2016)
• Человек человеку волк (2015)
• Плен (2015)

Also check out Арестант (2020), a contribution to the compilation Не выходя из дома, supporting artists during the pandemic. As of late October 2020, there’s a performance at НА СПОТЕ (2020, 17 m).

Listen: Apple Music, Bandcamp, Spotify.
More on Facebook and VK.

Most of the music here is also available in an R1 playlist on YouTube (in the order of posting).
See also Best Russian Music and Russian Song Lyrics.

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More music on Music in Russian

Last updated March 24, 2026