the bottlehiders

AS IF

Two of us. Guitar, vocal, loops and beats. A record called AS IF, ten songs, not finished. Leave an email. Hear it when it exists.

Sepia rehearsal-room poster, folded twice: one of us standing with a guitar under a checkered foam ceiling, the other bent over a microphone stand and a rack of gear. Printed title: BORN FREE MEN.

The short version

Started in a rehearsal room during the covid lockdown. The rehearsals were not legal at the time. Both of us drinking heavily. Digging booze a bunch.

The songs got written anyway.

Peter has been sober for five years, Boris for nearly four.

Counted September 2026.

We are back together, working through the songs again. Nothing is out.

AS IF — ten songs

Work in progress, which means: not out. Release: [RELEASE DATE].

  1. 01

    Night Club Amnesia

    “It’s not even today anymore.
    It’s tomorrow.”

  2. 02

    Blessings

    “Without sacrifice,
    Without remorse”

  3. 03

    Lost Letters

    “This is no Scrabble game,
    Do we live or leave today?”

  4. 04

    Deep Blue Shades

    “Mostly in my grungy boots,
    Usually arriving late.”

  5. 05

    Rescuer

    “Need no entertainment—
    Come in and stay with me.”

  6. 6.1

    Gospel for an Eternal Salvation

    “Who picks up the cards
    From the one
    who’s, like, dealing?”

  7. 6.2

    Gospel for an Overnight Sensation

    “Terms and conditions apply, consent revocable at any time.”

  8. 07

    Backfire

    “Backfire
    Sounds like desire.”

  9. 08

    Big Beat in My Blood

    “I’m not entirely fake”

  10. 09

    Born-Free Man

    “I die free, I stay free.”

Music and titles: Peter Karetka. Lyrics: Boris Banas.

All ten, typed out (PDF)

Four of the ten say it.

“As if we could change
The course of events.
As if we were really free.
As if we were above
everything.”

— Night Club Amnesia

“As if we were nowhere,
Nowhere to be found.”

— Deep Blue Shades

“As if this were
a casino game.”

— Gospel for an Eternal Salvation

“Acting as if it were
As simple as it seems.”

— Backfire

The Croupier had other views.

The two

The two of us at a wooden table in a gazebo, two coffee mugs, a sugar jar, a lighter.
Peter Karetka on a wooden deck, cap and sunglasses, green hills behind.

Peter “The Uncle” Karetka

Music.

Boris Banas, portrait on black: long hair, black turtleneck, looking straight at the camera.

Boris “CBD Pope” Banas

Lyrics.

Between us: guitar, vocal, loops and beats.

My own damn crew

Printed on a shirt and on paper. Both below.

Merch

My own damn crew

Print
The six lines, chest
Garment
[GARMENT: tee / long-sleeve]
Colour
[COLOUR]
Sizes
[SIZES]
Price
[PRICE]

[SHOP LINK]

Black long-sleeve shirt with the Backfire print on the chest.
[CLEAN TEE MOCKUP]

Backfire long-sleeve

Colour
Black
Print
Backfire, chest
Sizes
[SIZES]
Price
[PRICE]
Status
[SHIRT STATUS]

[SHOP LINK]

Prints

My own damn crew

Size
[SIZE]
Paper
[PAPER]
Edition
[EDITION]
Price
[PRICE]

[SHOP LINK]

Backfire: the word printed three times, in yellow, pink and red bands, stacked between posterized shots of a vintage typewriter.

Backfire

Size
[SIZE]
Paper
[PAPER]
Edition
[EDITION]
Price
[PRICE]

[SHOP LINK]

The Born Free Men poster: the sepia rehearsal-room photograph under its printed title, folded twice.

Born Free Men

Size
[SIZE]
Paper
[PAPER]
Edition
[EDITION]
Price
[PRICE]

[SHOP LINK]

Hear it when it exists.

One message when AS IF is out. Possibly one before, if we play somewhere. Nothing else.

“Terms and conditions apply, consent revocable at any time.”

— Gospel for an Overnight Sensation

[FORM ENDPOINT]