Formed in 2017 in Belarus' capital Minsk, Egor Shkukto, Roman Komogortsev, and Pavel Kozlov dived into the icy 80's synth-pop and new wave. Still, they have returned to the surface with an authentic sound, which lets itself be taken on board by our memory, docking and making us hostages of their creations. In three years, Molchat Doma, in Russian Молчат Дома has presented the world with three feature-lengths, first S Krish Nashih Domov in 2017, Etazhi in 2018, which gave them global reach, followed by Monument in late 2020. Metal Imperium was in conversation with Roman Komogortsev about the band's journey and their inspirations and future plans.M.I. - I believe you guys are tired of this question, but I can’t avoid asking what and how was Molchat Doma's reaction when you found out that the song судно (Sudno), from your second full-length, Этажи (Etazhi), was a massive hit on tik Tok? Personally speaking, I can’t thank this social media enough for introducing me to your band; it was definitely one of the best new music discoveries in 2020.
It was strange since none of us could expect such a reaction from the audience from this particular composition. Of course, now we are already used to it, and we try not to talk about this song once again since we have much more powerful songs, in our opinion.
M.I. - Would you say the hype around this song was the turning point to reach worldwide recognition?
No, this is all a pleasant bonus for us, we already had a fairly large audience and not at all thanks to this song, but thanks to the shot of this composition, it simply became larger.
M.I. - Molchat Doma’s sound is easy to identity: synth-pop, combined with new wave and post-punk at its finest. Let us travel back in time for a bit and tell me what motivated you to create a group with this sonority?
We were pinned by such a sound and chose to make this type of music, so we decided to try to play together in this vein. Nothing supernatural.
M.I. - What albums helped to shape Molchat Doma’s identity and style? Why?
Now we can't even remember it. There was definitely a "Группа Крови" from Kino. Probably it was at that moment the main reference. We also listened to a lot of music from childhood – Modern Talking, Depeche Mode, etc. And of course, everything was backed up by the local scene – Ploho, Звёзды, Утро, Электрофорез, Убийцы
M.I. - Later last year, in November, your third album “Monument” was released via Sacred Bones Records. How would you compare this album with your previous releases?
It was a step forward for us. We tried to find a balance between our developed style and some experiments with pop music. We believe that we have succeeded, but it will be better in the future.
M.I. - Was it challenging to record the album during a lockdown? Did you have to make different plans regarding the recording aspects and the album release?
There were no particular problems. As such, we did not have a lockdown. And we could get together whenever we wanted, but we didn't, because we understood that the situation was terrible (I mean with the virus) and needed to stay at home. Therefore, they gathered only for the session record. The rest of the work was done in Roman's home studio.
M.I. - Could you explain to us the process of your composition process? Do you work on it together, or is it divided between you three?
This is a rather personal process for us, so we do not talk about it.
M.I. - Both synth-pop and post-punk bands have been rising in Eastern Europe. Buerak, Siekiera and Ploho have been getting exposure to various music websites and blogs throughout the globe. Would you say we are experiencing a new wave of these genres in the east?
From our point of view, the peak of this genre in our latitudes was in 2013-14. Now there is a decline, there are few really good artists in these genres, but they still exist, which is good. It's just that a foreign listener has just begun to discover the East European scene for himself, so you think that there is a rise here. In fact, new school rap now reigns here, and it's unbearable.
M.I. - As we all know, it is a rare phenomenon when a non-English speaking band makes success outside their own country. Molchat Doma entered in a few Billboard Charts, including Top Album Sales at No. 97 and World Albums at No. 12. Have you ever thought about leaving Russian behind and start singing in English to reach a wider audience, or do you consider that people need to be more familiarized with different languages? Here's a joke! We didn't even know about that (laughts). Well, we definitely do not plan songs in English; we are not comfortable performing songs in that language.
M.I. - What was the most memorable gig of your career? Why?
You know, at this difficult time, we remember each gig with warmth and longing, as if it were in a past life.
M.I. - According to my research, you’ve never played in Portugal before. When this situation settles down, are you looking forward to performing here? There’s a handful of people who enjoy your music.
It would be very nice since we haven't got to Portugal yet. I think in the near future we will definitely play in your home!
M.I. - This year is not looking promising for live performances; therefore, I want to know if, apart from that do you have any doable plans for 2021?
There are certainly plans, and soon you will find out about it. But who knows what the situation in the world will be. In any case, we hope that everything will come true.
For Portuguese version, click here
Interview by Filipa Lobo Gaspar
