Gogol Bordello: We Mean It, Man! album preview – A furious polemic
Eugene Hütz’s anarchic collective demonstrate their rage with a defiantly political album
Taking a cosh to those January blues, New York’s self-styled gypsy punks scissor-kick their way into 2026 with new album We Mean It, Man!, the latest blast in their incendiary blend of underground anarcho-rock, euro-techno and Ukrainian folk. Formed in the nineties by Romani spearhead and punk provocateur Eugene Hütz alongside like-minded souls, Gogol Bordello wield righteous fury, turning wry humour and maniacal energy into a lightning rod for immigrant fans from all corners.
Hütz remains the band’s talisman and most recognisable asset. Born on the outskirts of Kyiv, his musical and ideological influences were forged on a nomadic journey that began in the Carpathian Mountains and ended on the front steps of CBGB. Lionised in his homeland, Hütz has built Gogol Bordello around a relentless message of resistance and rage against Russia’s attempt to ‘create a false mythology for Ukraine’, his own refugee story penetrating into the band’s famed live performances.
This record aligns with those same instincts but pulls in noted post-punk producers Nick Launay and Adam Greenspan (Idles, Amyl And The Sniffers) who steer the band into new territory without losing their core individuality or bite. The album also features ‘Solidarity’, a recent collaboration with Bernard Sumner, a nod to the visibility and reach Hütz enjoys both as activist and Ukraine’s stateside protest icon. Under current conditions, having Gogol Bordello in situ feels like enough of a ‘fuck you’ to deserve renewed attention, so right-wing dickheads had better beware. We mean it, man.
We Mean It, Man! is released by Casa Gogol on Friday 13 February; picture: Emanuela Giurano.