I Just Read About That…

[DID NOT ATTEND: February 12, 2025] Molchat Doma / Sextile

I’m so very intrigued by Molchat Doma.  I first heard about them a couple of years ago, and their bio shows them to be right up my street:

Founded in 2017 in Minsk, Belarus, and now residing in Los Angeles, MOLCHAT DOMA stands at the intersection of post punk, new wave and synth pop.

I love the idea of a band from Belarus singing in Belarusian becoming successful in the States.  Indeed, when they played Philly llast year I believe they sold out Union Transfer.  At least according to this blurb from 2022

Fans who missed their sold-out tour earlier this year will have a chance at redemption as the trio play larger venues, fitting for their growth.

In 2022, they played Underground Arts, in 023 they played Union Transfer and this year they are playing Franklin Music Hall–steady growth indeed.

And here’s what Underground Arts said back in 2022

Molchat Doma (translated as “Houses Are Silent”), founded in 2017 in Minsk, stand at the intersection of post-punk, new-wave and synth-pop. Dark, yet danceable. The band is comprised of Egor Shkutko, who sings the Russian lyrics in his deep, thundering tones, Roman Komogortsev on guitar, synths, and drum machine, and Pavel Kozlov on bass and synths.

When their debut album S Krysh Nashikh Domov was released in 2017, it announced a bold new voice in underground music. The album found a passionate audience on Bandcamp and other streaming services and was released on CD and cassette. Second LP Etazhi (meaning “Floors”) was first released in 2018 on Berlin-based Detriti Records. It became a viral hit, garnering over one million views on YouTube and becoming a legitimate phenomenon on Bandcamp. Six separate vinyl pressings of the album sold out before Sacred Bones signed the band in early 2020 and brought both records back into print for good. The signing was celebrated with the band’s first ever London show, which saw tickets sell so fast that the venue was upgraded twice and eventually had the iconic Scala packed to the rafters for a rapturously received show, mere weeks before lockdown came into force.

So I’m really happy for these guys.  But I just can’t get into them.  Thy are just too early 80s synth drum for my liking.  I don’t dislike them, but I would never go to FMH to see them.  My goth roots don’t go that deep, I guess.

Plus it’s the same night as the rescheduled J. Mascis show.

Sextile is from LA and has been around since 2015.  They mix post-punk and electronic rock in an “occult-inspired post-punk style” that blended industrial, surf-punk, psychobilly and ambient music.  They seem like a perfect complement–retro with upgraded vibes.