Albums of the Year 2024 - Number 60

Belarusian post-punk / synth pop group Molchat Doma have always exuded the kind of brutalist aesthetic of the architecture that adorns their album art. It’s cold, gray, imposing, industrial - and 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 band’s 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 downtrodden - to the sultry and seductive “Chernye Cvety”— a track reminiscent of Duran Duran’s 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”, it’s clear that Molchat Doma are operating on another level.

Molchat Doma gained following with earlier albums that sound like third-generation boot- legs of banned recordings from the Eastern Bloc made after a few key entries in the Factory Records catalog were smuggled in from the West. Belaya Polosa propels them into a new di- rection while retaining their cold minimalist delivery they’re known for. The basement grime and dirty tape-head sound of their previous work are now making space for digital luster and shimmering production values.

And while Molchat Doma’s broadened aural spectrum adds a synesthetic power to Belaya Polosa, the mood remains rooted in stark and unflinching self-reflection. Molchat Doma retain the duality of being both cold and feverish in their delivery while pushing their music into expanded territories through an armory of new textures. The trio continue to harness the sound of harrowing beauty thriving under harsh realities.