Photo: Alina Pasok and Karim Belkasemi
Belarusian post-punkers Molchat Doma erupted from the bleak industrial sprawl of Minsk in 2017. Their sound is as cold and stark as the brutalist architecture that adorns their album covers, yet it pulses with an undeniable human heartbeat beneath the concrete facade. The trio—Egor Shkutko, Roman Kamahortsau, and Pavel Kozlov—quickly garnered the attention of the underground with their dark, guitar—and synth-laden melodies, echoing the sound and atmosphere of the 1980s new wave.
2020 marked a turning point for Molchat Doma, a year of extremes as they left Minsk’s familiar desolation for the bright chaos of headlining stages worldwide. Amidst this tumult, they found refuge in Los Angeles and began crafting “Belaya Polosa.” Their fourth album is a testament to resilience, a nod to the digital rhythms of the ’90s, and a reinvention of their somber, dance-floor anthems.
With the release of the previous single, Son, Molchat Doma offered a glimpse into their evolving soundscape. The new single Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh Kto Ya, from their forthcoming album Belaya Polosa, underscores their sonic shift.
From the first swell of synth and the throbbing drum machine on “Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh Kto Ya” (“You Don’t Know Who I Am”), it’s evident that Molchat Doma are sourcing these mechanized beats from a different factory. The track pulses with early ’90s EBM precision, and brooding minor key melodies. It’s a collision of warehouse club sounds, industrialized rhythms, and vocals that resonate like the sheets of iron in the iron curtain—Imagine if Mute Records alumni Laibach joined forces with their label mates Nitzer Ebb, all while still being assembled with the essential components of that Kino meets Bioconstructor oeuvre that Molchat Doma has perfected.
Though sung in Russian, the emotional timbre transcends language barriers. Vocalist Egor Shkutko channels the anguish of a long-distance relationship stretched thin, marked by miscommunication and emotional turbulence. The lyrics convey a sense of invisibility and misunderstanding, a heartbreaking portrayal of love disintegrating under the weight of unspoken frustrations.
“It explores the pain and despair of feeling misunderstood by a loved one,” Shkutko explains, “and the endless guilt that ensues, even though you don’t realize how you yourself contribute to this pain.”
The video adeptly captures the desolate emotional landscape, evoking a Werner Herzog-directed version of Depeche Mode’s “It’s No Good” with a Sprockets-like Cold War era aesthetic. Director Maxim Kelly describes his inspiration: “The band envisioned a jive dancer for the video, which struck me as perfectly fitting and intriguingly out of place. I wanted to juxtapose this lively dance with a lonely, post-apocalyptic world to explore themes of isolation and connection.”
Watch the Video For Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh Kto Ya below:
Although Raman Kamahortsau once again handled the production duties, the sound on Belaya Polosa is a marked evolution. The basement grime and dirty tape-head aesthetic of their earlier work—reminiscent of smuggled Eastern Bloc bootlegs—has given way to digital luster and shimmering production values.
This shift reflects the album’s themes of change, moving from a troubled past into an uncertain future. “It’s a different band,” says Molchat Doma. “A different sound and context, but the same style and emotions.”
With their earlier albums, Molchat Doma cultivated a following with a sound that felt like X-ray-etched contraband from a Soviet-era underground. Belaya Polosa propels them forward, retaining their cold, minimalist core while embracing new sonic textures. It’s a testament to their adaptability, a love letter to the digital pulse of the ’90s, and a technicolor reinvention of their somber dance-floor anthems.
Belaya Polosa is out September 6, 2024. Pre-Order here.
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