Hi! I’m Step Pażernov.
I’m a composer, vocalist, and piano-attacker based in Los Angeles, CA.
More accurately: I’m a musical storyteller.
A trauma-dumping, self-effacing, chaos gremlin with a penchant for deeply theatrical dark cabaret, mid century jazz & Soviet era symphonic music.
And that’s why my latest EP,
“Entropy” came to life.
…which brings us to that free CD
tap to preview a track
ENTROPY is a chamber pop album I wrote while beginning to navigate chronic illness. Entropy is a collection of five songs designed to feel like diary-level confessionals with a dark cabaret twist, inspired by femme piano-pop icons Fiona Apple, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Amanda Palmer, Sara Bareilles, etc
These songs are catharsis incarnate (but, like, let’s not take ourselves too seriously about it). They’re tongue-in-cheek, self-deprecatingly candid little vehicles for transmuting grief into a reclamation of empowered self-expression. Fun stuff!
I made this album in bits and pieces between 2019 and 2023, as a reckoning of sorts. It’s an ultra-personal, ultra-theatrical meditation on illness & wellness. It’s a series of musical anthems celebrating the exquisiteness of melancholia and the power of levity.
Entropy is bunch of melodies & words delivered via catchy earworms and painstakingly-crafted orchestrations.
It’s a perfect entry point to my music.
Here’s what I’m offering:
“Entropy” on Compact Disc (CD)
- PLUS the digital download
A gorgeous sticker feat. mystery art
A handwritten note from me :)
All for FREE!!!
You just cover shipping ($5)
So what is “Entropy” really about?
This album is about my experiences with depression, surgery, and existential dread. Isn’t that fun? Very uplifting, very light stuff!
The title comes from a lyric that acts as a thesis statement for the whole record: “Chaos is my color, but I can’t stand entropy.” Duality on its way to holism. Process over progress.
For me, Entropy also represents my relentless, and oft-futile, pursuit of certainty in an inherently uncertain and unstable world. Being a human person in a meatsuit.
Plus, all the paradoxical nonsense that comes with that reality.
Who is Step Pażernov?
“Pażernov” is a reclamation of my ancestral surname, intended to honor my roots, queerness, & inexplicable obsession with early 20th century Eastern European neoclassical music.
“Pażernov” speaks to the distinctly odd music that comes out of my high-entropy brain. Biting lyrics, chromatic chord clusters, and a mosaic of anachronistic musical influences wrapped in one theatrical package.
“okay, but why are you doing this?”
We (Step & the team of pals who help keep her afloat) mail CDs because it helps create a personal relationship with our fans.
You get some new music and a free piece of art; and we get an opportunity for a new listener.
In a world of fake streaming numbers, fake followers, fake AI slop… We’re real humans making physical media for our real human fans to enjoy.
We’re also taking a bet that, if we offer you something special, we'll create a relationship for years to come. Hopefully we’ll see you at a venue, a house show, a concert hall, whatever!
So, if you’re still reading….what the heck are you waiting for?
– Step Pażernov