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ABOUT

hug or handshake is an indie rock/pop band consisting of Petar Trifonov, Anton Georgiev, Viktor Ivanov and Nick Nikolaev. The band was formed on a cold December night in 2019 when Petar and Anton discovered a shared love for the same music and realized their minds spoke the same language.

Soon after their first meeting, they recorded a demo, and within a month, their debut single, Molten Dreams, was released on March 12—just a day before the first COVID-19 lockdown in Bulgaria. Following its release, hug or handshake quickly gained recognition as a bold, highly professional, and modern project, praised for its refined sound and artistic vision.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the band was unable to perform live for over a year. However, this time allowed them to collaborate with music producer Simeon Lozanov – Monyx, finalize their second successful single, Blaze of Sorry, and complete their debut album Once Upon A Pink Sedan. The album, featuring eight tracks, was released on May 17, 2021.

Upon its release, Once Upon A Pink Sedan received critical acclaim in Bulgaria, with reviewers describing it as "a beautiful, emotional, and uncompromising journey from both a musical and technical standpoint." The praise continued: "The sound is rich, warm, and detailed, with a mix that impresses through its depth and space. For me, this album is a reference point and should serve as a benchmark for any artist making modern pop music, especially in Bulgaria. Once Upon A Pink Sedan is an outstanding debut that excites me deeply as both a listener and an artist. Each song radiates a love for music and a painfully charming lack of pretension and ego." – Pod Mosta.

That same month, hug or handshake received three nominations at the annual Golden Ducks music awards. In June, they made their live debut on the main stage of Sofia Live Festival. Over the next year, they played a series of local shows and festivals, further solidifying their presence in the Bulgarian indie music scene.

In 2023 and 2024, the band released Slowboy and Waiting Till September (Doesn't Make It Right), respectively.

hug or handshake is set to return to Sofia Live Festival in June 2025, sharing the stage with James Bay, while also working on their highly anticipated second album, scheduled for release in 2026.

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BAND:

hugorhandshake@gmail.com

PRESS & BOOKING:

Mila Panayotova | +359 88 885 4839 | m.panayotova@gmail.com

CONTACT

MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

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WHAT THE MEDIA SAY

‘Once Upon a Pink Sedan’ is a triumph of love and good music.' - PodMosta.bg

'The 8-track album is an adventure for the senses and should be experienced in a single listening.' - Z-Rock Radio

'Molten Dreams is a dreamy, sympathetic and radiophonic that would fit any indie music playlist.' - BOYSCOUT Magazine

‘The band’s first single is a strong step towards both local and international acclaim.’ - Actualno.com

hug or handshake - Waiting Till September (Doesn't Make It Right)
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hug or handshake - Waiting Till September (Doesn't Make It Right)

Official music video for 'Waiting Till September (Doesn't Make It Right)' by hug or handshake. Listen & Download: https://ffm.to/waitingtillseptember Director and DoP: Nicola Atanasov https://www.instagram.com/nicola.atanasov Music producer: Monyx (Simeon Lozanov) Recording and mixing: Monyx (Simeon Lozanov) https://www.instagram.com/monyxmusic Editor: Mitko Balabanov https://www.instagram.com/mitkobalabanov Gaffer: Aleksandar Benev Mastering: Sterling Sound - Calbi/Fallone BTS: Elly Youngs Follow hug or handshake: https://www.instagram.com/hugorhandshake https://www.facebook.com/hugorhandshake https://www.hugorhandshake.com/ Press and contact: +359 88 885 4839 | m.panayotova@gmail.com ________________________________________________________________ Lyrics: There's a fine line here Sorry doesn't cut it lately Should've made it clear Show me both sides, dear I'm just worried cause I got a feeling I can tell you're near I just can't remember where we went that night Waiting till September doesn't make it right I still can't remember if we did alright Call me in December, take me for a ride So you call Moose Truce Doesn't mean they'll thank you for it We don't do good news anymore Get your own suede shoes We're not there yet and I can't afford to lose It's a slow night at the Mountain Lake Hotel Hey there, big spender What's your agenda? I just can't remember where we went that night Waiting till September doesn't make it right I still can't remember if we did alright Call me in December, take me for a ride Waiting till September doesn’t make it right Call me in December, take me for a ride Something tells me this could be the story of a lifetime Anyway you cut it love is just another land mine That kind of thinking got us to what we see 1954 till 2063 I just can't remember where we went that night Waiting till September doesn't make it right I still can't remember if we did alright Call me in December, take me for a ride Something tells me this could be the story of a lifetime Anyway you cut it love is just another land mine These things I feel for you, you just can't make them up, babe Blink if you heard it, I'm not sure what the word is I just can't remember where we went that night Waiting till September doesn't make it right I still can't remember if we did alright Call me in December, take me for a ride Don't think for a second that I'm taking you with me You will know the truth although the truth won't set you free That kind of thinking got us to what we see 1922 till 1843 ________________________________________________________________ Big thanks to Merkle Bulgaria for the office space. https://www.instagram.com/merklebulgaria Positive Corporate Music by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.com ‘Waiting Till September (Doesn’t Make It Right)’ was created with the financial support of Musicautor.
hug or handshake - Slowboy (Official Video)
03:13

hug or handshake - Slowboy (Official Video)

Official music video for 'Slowboy' by hug or handshake. Listen & Download: https://ffm.to/slowboy Director and DoP: Nicola Atanasov https://www.instagram.com/nicola.atanasov/ Music producer: Monyx (Simeon Lozanov) Recording and mixing: Monyx (Simeon Lozanov) https://www.instagram.com/monyxmusic Mastering: Sterling Sound - Calbi/Fallone MUA / PA: Magdalina Dianova Gaffer: Stoyan Nikolaev BTS: Hristo Lazarov, Mihail Mishev Featuring: Petar Bachvarov Adrian Stoykov Special thanks to Anamorph Studio. Follow hug or handshake: https://www.facebook.com/hugorhandshake/ https://www.instagram.com/hugorhandshake https://twitter.com/hugorhandshake Press and contact: +359 88 885 4839 | m.panayotova@gmail.com __________________________________________________________________ Lyrics: Slowboy living in slow motion No joy, drove into the ocean He came about when there was no one else around Good heart, bad at making breakfast Slow start, he finished dead last He's no Molière but in the end he'll get you there Some people call him lazy Always the last to know The boy will drive you crazy If you don't mind slow Slowboy, you don't need a reason Rob Roy, served it with some cheese on top She's on the floor but you're not thirsty anymore They say you're in it for the money I say wrap you up in honey Some people call him lazy Always the last to know (the last to know) The boy will drive you crazy (drive you crazy) If you don't mind slow Some people say he's lazy Always the last to know (the last to know) The boy will drive you crazy (drive you crazy) If you don't mind slow Slow Boy Some people call him lazy Always the last to know The boy will drive you crazy If you don't mind slow Some people call him lazy (oh, some people say) Always the last to know (the last to know) The boy will drive you crazy (a-drive you crazy) If you don't mind slow Ah-ah slow -- Slowboy was created with the financial support of Musicautor.
hug or handshake - Jacuzzi Heart (Official Video | Episode 3)
03:36

hug or handshake - Jacuzzi Heart (Official Video | Episode 3)

'Jacuzzi Heart' is the third episode of an interactive music video series, developed by handplayed productions for hug or handshake's album 'Once Upon a Pink Sedan'. Watch the interactive version of the video: https://www.hugorhandshake.com/interactive Watch episode 1 of the series: https://youtu.be/2MmbGjDt_bY Watch episode 2 of the series: https://youtu.be/X-WS4s0V-zs Listen to the full album: https://ffm.to/onceuponapinksedan Music producer: Monyx (Simeon Lozanov) Recording and mixing: Monyx (Simeon Lozanov) Mastering: Sterling Sound - Greg Calbi Cast: Anton Georgiev, Petar Trifonov, Maria Koleff, Yoji Sato, Evtim Todorov, Todor Sheinov, Mario Gyurov, Teodora Nikolova Director: Angel Ivanov Co-Director: Ivan Botev DoP: Nikola Atanasov Editing and color grading: Dimitar Stafidov Production Designer: Vanya Ivanova Art Director: Velichka Djambazova Art Department Assistants: Tsveta Dimova, Hristo Angelov, Evtim Evtimov Stylists: Mirela Vassileva, Katrin Dimitrova First AD: Krasimira Krysteva, Bozhidar Peychev Second AD / Script Supervisor: Leda Dragieva Camera Assistants: Petar Tuhchiev, Radostin Lazarov Underwater Operator: Dragomir Dimchev Underwater Assistant Operator: Rosen Savkov CGI: Lyubomir Todorov Casting: handplayed Producers: Virginia Venkova, Angel Ivanov Special thanks to: Septemvri Hut The project is realized with the financial support of National Cultural Fund Follow hug or handshake: https://www.instagram.com/hugorhandshake https://www.facebook.com/hugorhandshake/ https://twitter.com/hugorhandshake https://www.hugorhandshake.com/ https://sptfy.com/hugorhandshake Press and contact: +359 88 885 4839 | m.panayotova@gmail.com
hug or handshake - Love Me Like You Do (Official Video | Episode 5)
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hug or handshake - Love Me Like You Do (Official Video | Episode 5)

'Love Me Like You Do' is the fifth episode of an interactive music video series, developed by handplayed productions for hug or handshake's album 'Once Upon a Pink Sedan'. Watch the interactive version of the video: https://www.hugorhandshake.com/interactive Watch episode 1: https://youtu.be/2MmbGjDt_bY Watch episode 2: https://youtu.be/X-WS4s0V-zs Watch episode 3: https://youtu.be/NZZzAJ2KANA Watch episode 4: https://youtu.be/NulQsIa7OFY Listen to the full album: https://ffm.to/onceuponapinksedan Music producer: Monyx (Simeon Lozanov) Recording and mixing: Monyx (Simeon Lozanov) Mastering: Sterling Sound - Greg Calbi Cast: Anton Georgiev, Petar Trifonov, Teodora Nikolova, Bozhidar Popov, Boris Vasev Director: Viktor Ivanov DoP: Dimitar Tenev Editing and color grading: Viktor Ivanov Production Designer: Tsveta Dimova Stylists: Mirela Vassileva, Katrin Dimitrova First AD: Bozhidar Peychev Second AD / Script Supervisor: Leda Dragieva Camera Assistant: Petar Tuhchiev Underwater Operator: Dragomir Dimchev Underwater Assistant Operator: Rosen Savkov Casting: handplayed Producers: Virginia Venkova, Angel Ivanov Special thanks to: Bikearea Chatama The project is realized with the financial support of National Cultural Fund Follow hug or handshake: https://www.instagram.com/hugorhandshake https://www.facebook.com/hugorhandshake/ https://twitter.com/hugorhandshake https://www.hugorhandshake.com/ https://sptfy.com/hugorhandshake Press and contact: +359 88 885 4839 | m.panayotova@gmail.com

MUSIC VIDEOS

PHOTOS

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