Prague band Dukla at Pohoda 2025
The Prague synthpop band Dukla, consisting of Lukáš Vydra, Jozef Hradilek and Jáchym Krohe, refers to post punk, guitar bands of the nineties, as well as the contemporary club scene and rap. At Pohoda they will also play songs from their latest album Stejný lepší.
23. May 2025
Dukla was founded in 2017 by Lukáš Vydra and Josef Hradilek on the foundations of the now non-existent dream pop band Mayen. What was supposed to be just a holiday side project with no ambitions of further releases and concerts ended up resonating stronger than they expected. Since then they have released several singles, a couple of EPs and two full-length albums – Honza (2020), which received positive reviews and an Apollo Music Award nomination for Record of the Year 2020, and their latest, Stejný lepší (2024).
From the beginning, Dukla's work was marked by a DIY approach and aesthetic – inspired by the American bedroom/dream pop scene of the time, they recorded mostly at home and released songs almost immediately after recording. The band plays guitar pop that carries a legacy of new wave, post punk, 90s guitar bands and contemporary club music.
Currently Dukla is a three-piece formation – Lukáš Vydra and Josef Hradile have been joined by Jáchym Krohe (synthesizers). At the beginning of last year they released their second album, Stejný lepší, on which you can feel a noticeable shift towards more club music, but without giving up what is typical for them - expressive melodies and nostalgic lyrics that reflect urban life with naivety. The record also features guest appearances by Slovak singer Eva Tolstová, the band Maryland and Czech rapper TK 27.