Vinyl

The first vinyl release by the band Schmalgauzen brings together their most important tracks written over the past three years. I approached the vinyl artwork as an independent conceptual project and chose a fountain as the central visual metaphor.

The fountain is guarded by the band members, depicted as griffins and mythical creatures, with magical animals appearing behind the heads of the vocalists and musicians. At the top of the fountain stand three female figures pouring water, which flows downward through the structure. Since most of Schmoyhausen’s songs revolve around love, and all band members are men, their lyrics often sing about women who inspire them—sometimes by breaking their hearts. This emotional tension becomes a source of poetic and musical creation.

The image plays with irony and gentle sarcasm: women appear as providers of “inspirational water,” which transforms into music as it flows down the fountain—occasionally resembling tears. In some details, the band members seem to be crying along with the sound.

On the reverse side of the vinyl, the fountain is turned around: instead of figures, the band’s musical instruments take their place. Inside the sleeve, I designed a fictional map of Schmalgauzen, featuring meaningful locations such as homes, a cinema, their long-time rehearsal space, as well as fragments of illustrations from different albums, excerpts of lyrics, and references to people and stories that have appeared in the band’s creative world over the last three years.

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