The Third Eye

Mitya Burmistrov is a musician from Kazan currently living in Belgrade and the creator of three music projects. The one we’ll talk about today is MITYA and this wildly creative musician’s debut album, TUU, a psychedelic pop journey he worked on periodically since 2014 and has finally released to the world. 

TUU was released on September 20, 2023, and we thought it was good enough to include in the Best Psychedelic Music of September. If you’re looking for some dreamy, trippy, and soulful psychedelia after you’re tired of listening to Tame Impala repeatedly, MITYA’s new album will be up your alley.

About MITYA and TUU

MITYA’s TUU is unique for several reasons. He traveled to Altai to record folk instruments, collaborated with authentic shamans, and learned throat singing, and if that’s not enough, he even got engaged. (Congrats!) He documented the entire experience in a YouTube series called “Altadelica.”

For those of you who don’t know, Altai is an ethnic republic in Russia located in southern Siberia, primarily representing the indigenous Altai peoples, a Turkic ethnic group that accounts for 37% of the republic’s population. I had no idea about any of this before I looked it up, but I guess you learn something new every day.

Musically, TUU is unified by MITYA’s passion for early Seventies psychedelia, dance rhythms, fluidity, and the unpredictability of sound. The album title, TUU, translates from the Altai language as “mountain,” it pays homage to Altai but also serves as a theme for the entire collection of songs. After finishing the record, MITYA realized the melodies of the songs resemble a mountain silhouette: they have an ascent, a peak, and a symmetrical descent.

MITYA wrote nearly all the music and produced and mixed everything on his own. However, there are plenty of collaborations on the album, including with the artist Liyolei (who designed the album art), Senegalese rapper Toussa, Turkish musician Fîdel, Tatar rapper Усал, and the Kazan National Orchestra.

The resulting work is a deeply fascinating neo-psychedelic pop album with all the brilliant colors of a rainbow over an Altai mountain range.

The Songs

TUU consists of 10 songs and a tightly packaged run time of 36 minutes, 41 seconds. The psychedelic pop journey begins with “No Tomorrow,” a funky track with MITYA’s smooth vocal tone and plenty of hooks. I will not beat a dead horse with the Tame Impala comparison, but it’s appropriate.

“Out of My Way” is faster-paced and more uptempo, with a beat that reminds me of something from Gorillaz. The song has so many cool, odd electronic sounds that I could scarcely identify the instruments. The result is a sugary-sweet yet frantic dance psychedelia that feels longer than two and a half minutes because it’s so densely packed with goodness.

“Where the Desert Starts” is one of the longest tracks at just under five minutes and is a much slower jam. The song has a romantic quality, with plenty of soulful vocals and funky guitar parts. “Now or never/I’m gonna follow good weather/Why should I stay if I’m going to complain,” MITYA sings, and I have a feeling this could be about one of his Altai adventures.

“Recurring Dreams” hits like a psychedelic light show. Get the glow sticks ready for this track, as the high-tempo beat combines with the retro-futuristic synthesizer to create a highly danceable song.

“Only Nothing is Changing” features a funky-ass bass line, a beautiful chorus, and MITYA’s signature falsetto vocals. The song is chill but still brings an infectious energy that’s so common on this album. The lyrics point to this being a break-up song, but MITYA hints that there’s still hope. “Though it looks like an ending/I can feel there’s still much more,” he sings.

“Surreal” is one of the tracks that features orchestration from the Kazan National Orchestra. It also features the Tatar rapper Усал. The song is aptly named due to its dreamy feel and many touches of Seventies disco and funk, and the talkbox effects interspersed throughout the song also give it a retro feel.

“I’m So Tired” is a short but good track. “I’m so tired/Of walking blind/Just on my own,” MITYA sings, and it feels like an anthem for our burnout culture. Thankfully, MITYA’s adventures in Altai likely led to some spiritual renewal.

“Ordinary Man” is another song with a throwback feel but with a modern twist. I detected a lot of Sixties psychedelic pop in this song, but MITYA adds new elements through electronic effects and modern production techniques.

“Cumpulele Rasita” is the longest track at four minutes, fifty-two seconds, and another highly collaborative one. The song features Senegalese rapper Toussa and Turkish musician Fîdel, and while it doesn’t break much new ground compared to other tracks, it’s still an enjoyable listen.

“Ovca Napeolonea” closes the album in style. The sounds of the Kazan National Orchestra are sublime and soothing, and MITYA blends the orchestration with various electronic effects and samples from Altai. This was the most surprising song on the album because of the classical music incorporated, and it feels like a great way to close TUU on a majestic note.

Final Thoughts

I don’t listen to much pop music, and I never really have. But there are plenty of psychedelic pop bands and musicians today who are making great tunes that are not just catchy but also have depth. MITYA is one of those musicians, and listening to TUU makes me (almost) reconsider my prejudice against the Billboard Hot 100.

We tend to cover much heavy psych at The Third Eye, but TUU shows that the softer side of psychedelic music is just as alluring. MITYA has billed the record as a “psychedelic pop journey,” and I agree. He has delicately crafted a beautiful album over the course of eight years that should be good for fans of not just Tame Impala but also The Flaming Lips, Mac DeMarco, MGMT, and Animal Collective. Enjoy!

Support MITYA by finding him on Bandcamp and social media (Facebook, Instagram). You can also see all of MITYA’s links here.

Check out MITYA’s “Altaidelica” series on YouTube here.

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