From Belarus With Love: Molchat Doma at The Factory 04.21.23

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

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