Molchat Doma – Belaya Polosa

Description

Belarusian post-punk / synth pop group Molchat Doma have always exuded the kind of brutalist aesthetic of the architecture that adorns their album art. Its cold, gray, imposing, industrialand yet there are human hearts beating within those foundations. In the wake of their breakthrough success in 2020, the trio endured a polarity of experiences, from the nadir of an uprooted life and forced relocation away from their native Minsk to the apex of head- lining massive shows across the world. It was in this headspace that the band settled into their new home of Los Angeles to finish writing their fourth album Belaya Polosa, a testament to change in difficult times, a love letter to the digital pulse of the 90s, and a technicolor reinvention of the bands somber dancefloor anthems.

From the opening synth swell and drum machine throb of Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh Kto Ya, to the goth / post-punk austerity of Son, to the swirling electronic textures mixed with reverb- drenched guitar flourishes, expansive space, and yearning vocals of title track Belaya Polosa- that suggests Depeche Mode at their most reflective or The Cure at their most downtrod- den – to the sultry and seductive Chernye Cvety a track reminiscent of Duran Durans early 90s output in its fusion of dreamy guitars and authoritative mechanized beats and the interwoven layers of instrumentation, soaring chorus, and melodic sophistication of Ya Tak Ustal, its clear that Molchat Doma are operating on another level.