Molchat Doma w/ Nuovo Testamento | 04.21.23, 8:00 PM | The Factory, 17105 North Outer 40 Road, Chesterfield | All ages | $29.50–$64.50
Those who have been following trends in underground and alternative music know that the sounds of the ‘80s never truly fell out of fashion. This Friday, the Factory will host two acts dedicated to keeping the New Wave dream alive: Molchat Doma and Nuovo Testamento.
Nuovo Testamento (Italian for “New Testament”), a group based in Los Angeles, CA, offers a very faithful take on the synthesizer-driven style of European disco music that became popular in the 1980s. This fusion of disco and synthpop was often synonymous with famous Italian producers like Giorgio Moroder, earning it the nickname “Italo-Disco.” Two of Nuovo Testamento’s members are Italian themselves (guitarist Anrea Mantione and synth-player Giacomo Zatti), with American vocalist Chelsey Crowley rounding out the trio.
The group’s first album, New Earth, was released in 2021, and earned them a significant following among fans of the classic high-energy underground dance music of the 1980s. Their sophomore album, Love Lines, was released in March of this year, and found them further perfecting the style and themes of their debut. Both are recommended listening for fans of up-tempo beats, passionate vocals, and sensual synths.
Nuovo Testamento will provide a colorful contrast to Molchat Doma, whose approach to ‘80s revivalism is much more dour. Formed in Minsk in 2017, the band (whose name means “Silent Houses” in Russian) currently consists of guitarist, drummer, and synth programmer Roman Komogortsev, bassist Pavel Kozlov, and vocalist Egor Shtuko. Their music is a stripped-down, synthesizer-driven form of post-punk known as coldwave, known for its minimalist song structures, repetitive and prominent basslines, and somber, existential lyrics. Although this approach to post-punk was popular in underground music all over Europe, it was particularly associated with Eastern Bloc nations during the 1980s, with groups such as Siekiera and Republika (both from Poland) capturing the starkness and austerity of life under Communism.
Molchat Doma has released three albums to date: S krysh nashikh domov (“From the roofs of our houses”) in 2017, Etazi (“Floors”) in 2018, and Monument in 2020, the latter of which was released through famed Brooklyn-based independent record label Sacred Bones (which also reissued their previous albums).
Although one might imagine that a group with song titles and lyrics entirely in Russian, paying tribute to a very specific style of European underground music from the 80’s, would have niche appeal at best, the group notoriously exploded in popularity after their song “Sudno” became involved in a viral trend on TikTok on other social media platforms (please try to contain your disgust). Even if you haven’t listened to Molchat Doma before, you have very likely seen the album art for Etazi countless times on YouTube, as a video for the album was heavily pushed by the streaming service’s recommendation algorithm. All of this bizarre viral publicity, fueled by some latent nostalgia for “Soviet vibes” by people born decades after the fall of the USSR, has caused Molchat Doma to become one of the most popular Russian-speaking acts worldwide.
Will Molchat Doma bring the aging punks of yesteryear out of retirement for an evening of Sad Goth Dancing? Do self-styled TikTok influencers actually go to concerts? These are just a few of the burning questions I hope to find answers to at the Factory this Friday. | David Von Nordheim
Check out our playlist featuring recent setlists from both artists.
Molchat Doma on tour:
04.16.23 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Culture Room
04.19.23 | Louisville, KY | Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
04.20.23 | Nashville, TN | Eastside Bowl
04.21.23 | St. Louis, MO | The Factory
04.22.23 | Kansas City, MO | The Truman
04.23.23 | Oklahoma City, OK | Tower Theatre
04.25.23 | New Orleans, LA | House of Blues
04.26.23 | Houston, TX | Bayou Music Center
04.27.23 | San Antonio, TX | The Aztec Theater
04.28.23 | Austin, TX | Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
04.29.23 | Dallas, TX | Southside Ballroom
05.01.23 | El Paso, TX | Lowbrow Palace
05.02.23 | Tucson, AZ | Rialto Theatre
05.04.23 | Denver, CO | Ogden Theatre
05.06.23 | Salt Lake City, UT | The Depot
05.09.23 | Boise, ID | Knitting Factory Concert House
05.11.23 | Vancouver, BC | Harbour Event Centre
05.12.23 | Seattle, WA | Showbox SoDo
05.13.23 | Portland, OR | Crystal Ballroom
05.16.23 | Santa Cruz, CA | The Catalyst
05.17.23 | San Francisco, CA | The Warfield
05.18.23 | Los Angeles, CA | Shrine Auditorium & Expo Center
05.19.23 | Phoenix, AZ | The Van Buren
05.20.23 | Pasadena, CA | Cruel World Festival
05.27.23 | London | Wide Awake Festival
05.29.23 | Barcelona | Primavera A La Cuitat
06.01.23 | Istanbul | Zorlu PSM
06.03.23 | Munich | Grey Scale Festival
06.05.23 | Bologna | Diretto Live Festival
06.07.23 | Milan | Unaltrofestival
06.12.23 | Sydney | Carriageworks
06.15.23 | Brisbane | Princess Theatre
06.16.23 | Hobart | Dark Mofo Festival