LIKE JUNE SKY
1. Welcome! Would you please introduce yourself and what you do in the band?
Hi, we're like june sky, a metalcore band from the heart of the Balkans and we are: Jaclin - vocalist, Marco and Choni - guitars, Svetlio - bass and Andrew - drums.
2. Would you please provide some background basics on the band like when and how you formed, etc?
We’re from Sofia, Bulgaria, one of the best cities for the hardcore community across the Balkans.
One day Svelio and Marco got the idea of starting a metalcore project, and shortly after, they got in touch with Andrew, so they gathered together just to jam. During that same jam session they wrote the first song before the band was conclusive.
The following meet up was even more productive as more songs were written, and that’s when Andrew got in touch with his other band's bassist, Peter, who joined as a vocalist for the band. Not long after that Choni, who already plays guitar and drums in other well known local bands, joined as the band's second guitarist and later took over being a backing vocalist.
This lineup didn’t last long as a couple of months after the first ever live show of the band, formerly known as Lazarus Envy, Peter stepped away in mutual agreement, that's when Jaclin joined as the frontwoman.
With that new chapter and major change also came a new name, and after brainstorming for a couple of months, we finally decided to become like june sky.
3. How would you describe the band’s sound? What are the band’s primary influences?
As we mainly focus on melody and emotions we blend different sounds of our favourite bands into our own thing.
Instead of trying to fit in with the current wave of metalcore revival bands, we are focusing on creating a sound that builds upon the already established metalcore roots.
With that being said, our main influences are Poison the Well, 7 Angels 7 Plagues, Melekh, Converge, Underoath, At the Gates, Alexisonfire, Foreign Hands, and Misery Signals.
4. What about for you personally—how did you get into heavy music and which bands were instrumental in that?
Jaclin: My mom was a huge fan of Nirvana, Gorillaz, and Evanescence, so she often used to play those bands to me when I was a little kid. Eventually, after my parents’ divorce, moving across countries, and having unlimited access to the internet, I started browsing for more music; that's when I came across Linkin Park, Red, Skillet, and Slipknot, which were my very first “heavier” bands. With time passing and as I was expanding my music knowledge, a couple of years later I found out about La Dispute, Alexisonfire, and Bring Me The Horizon, I instantly found comfort in their songs, so that’s how I knew that bands with a more melodic and emotional sound were my cup of tea.
Andrew: I don't exactly remember when and how I got into metal, maybe my dad showed me some rock bands like Deep Purple or AC/DC when I was a kid and potentially started this whole “thing,” but I've always liked music in general, and metal for me back then was undoubtedly the most interesting thing to listen to. My biggest obsessions were bands like Slipknot, Deftones, BFMV, then I gravitated towards thrash and death metal for some time, and in the big 2026 you can find me listening to pretty much anything with blast beats or catchy melodies.
Marco: It was my dad that got me into heavy music. When I was little, he introduced me to classic bands and artists, such as Alice Cooper, Metallica, Slayer, etc. Later, I made some friends from school that were also into this type of music, and started listening to progressively heavier and heavier bands. Because of my mother, who is a concert pianist, I started playing guitar in 3rd grade. I wanted to be like her and play an instrument, and guitar was more fitting for my music taste at the time.
Svetlio: My parents were really into metal when they were younger. At the age of 14, I heard Metallica’s Ride the Lightning, and that was my first experience with heavy music. After that I told my dad about it, so he showed me bands like Sepultura and Cannibal Corpse. After some time of listening to thrash and death metal I discovered black metal and immediately clicked with it.
Choni: My first exposure to heavier/alternative music was at a very young age whenever my brother would listen to bands like Linkin Park and Green Dayat home. I found it very intriguing at the time but wasn't really captivated right away. It wasn't after I became a teenager that I started not only becoming interested in playing the drums, but also discovering bands like Slipknot, Metallica,and all the popular heavier bands… And before I knew it, I was already seeking heavier and much faster music, which eventually led me to discovering and ultimately falling in love with punk and hardcore. With the years, my music taste has evolved so incredibly much, but at the core, I'll always be a metal kid.
5. In June, you fittingly released your first music, a three-track taster. Can you describe the three songs and the writing and recording process of “Drenched in Sin / Slave to Misery”?
Andrew, Marco, and Jaclin: The intro was composed and written entirely by Marco way before the band actually formed, and thanks to Marco’s mother, who’s an astonishing pianist and musician, we managed to record it on her royal piano. “Drenched in Sin” is the fruit of our collaborative effort, while “Slave to Misery” was created by both Marco and Andrew in the span of two days after a jam session they had one night at 3 am in our rehearsal space, shortly thereafter Choni added some more spice to it and Jaclin wrote the lyrics.
As both songs are quite heavier than some of our other songs, Jaclin decided to stick to a more hateful vibe, that’s why the lyrics for both tracks are based on maltreatment, overcoming traumas and letting go of what no longer serves you. “Drenched in Sin” is about an abusive relationship she had experienced, while “Slave to Misery” was inspired by past addictions and how life-consuming this period of her life was.
6. Your live debut was June 13th—tell us about that show and how it went.
Jaclin: It’s been more than two months, and we still can’t put together the right words needed to explain it. Personally…it was a rollercoaster of emotions. As the event organizer, I had to make sure everything was going smoothly, and of course things didn’t go as planned.
We had some huge delays due to technical issues that occurred during our sound check, and because of that the whole event was postponed by an hour and a half.
During our set we faced more issues, this time with Choni’s guitar, but our friends from Sub Terra (huge shoutout to the homies) helped him out in the blink of an eye.
Besides those little inconveniences, we basically had a blast.
Seeing all our friends, kids that attend shows just to support our local scene, and people we’ve never seen before mosh hard, two step and beating each other was absolute madness.
For me, one of the best moments of our set was seeing people reacting to Choni’s clean singing… Seeing a bunch of faces being speechless and flabbergasted at the same time made me beyond happy. Another great moment was at the end of our set, when we covered “Nerdy” by Poison the Well. Passing over my microphone to a bunch of friends for them to sing along, and seeing people stage dive from the venue’s poor speakers were the two key things that made my heart full.
7. What does the band have lined up in the near future we should be keeping an eye out for?
Jaclin: We’re already booked for some insane shows, within Bulgaria and across borders, and I’ve also planned some gigs all the way until March 2027, and some fun collaborations with other artists, so people better watch out and keep their eyes wide open.
We’ve been quite silent since our debut, but it’s for the best.
We’re currently in the recording process of our first EP which will be released this autumn, and in the meantime, we’re also already working on some new songs.
8. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions! Any last words for the readers?
Let’s not forget hardcore’s core principles and why music is so important.
It’s never been about showing off, being a great musician or being considered as competition towards other bands, so for the love of God, stick together, help your homies out and look after each other, be good to animals, call your parents, kiss your loved ones, start a band, attend your local DIY shows, and keep assholes out of the scene.
Life’s tough enough, we gotta be tougher than it, together.
Thank you so much for the opportunity and the great questions, it was our pleasure!
xoxo – like june sky