Molchat Doma

Molchat Doma

Molchat Doma are a Belarusian band from Minsk, active since 2017. The group performs post-punk with lyrics in Russian and is made up of Egor Shkutko on vocals, Roman Komogortsev on guitar, synths and drum machine, and Pavel Kozlov on bass and synths.

Style and influences

Their sound draws on early 1980s post-punk and new wave, with a stark, cold quality shaped by metallic percussion, ominous synthesizers and bleak bass lines. Their music also incorporates elements associated with Krautrock motorik patterns. The group are often compared with Joy Division and have a similarly austere, claustrophobic atmosphere, though their work is more closely aligned with that band’s influence than with New Order.

Recordings

Molchat Doma’s second album, Etazhi (also written in Cyrillic as Этажи and meaning “Floors”), is released on Berlin-based Detriti Records. The record is noted for its sparse, cold production and has received multiple repressings. It also gains more than one million views on YouTube.

Reception and live activity

The band play to packed clubs in cities including Warsaw, Helsinki and Berlin, while remaining relatively under the radar in Belarus. Their work is associated with a bleak, melancholic mood and a sound that some listeners describe as futuristic and dystopian.