Molchat Doma - Belaya Polosa [Clear]

Molchat Doma carry their icy post-punk toward the light on Belaya Polosa, the band's fourth album, pressed here on clear vinyl.

The Minsk trio became an unlikely global phenomenon when one of their older songs went viral years after its release, turning cold drum machines and Russian-language gloom into a worldwide cult sound. Released in 2024 through Sacred Bones, Belaya Polosa finds them refining that formula, with sharper melodies and a little more space alongside the familiar shadows.

Egor Shkutko's deep, deadpan baritone still anchors everything, while Roman Komogortsev's guitars and synths and Pavel Kozlov's bass build that classic, chilly drive. "Son" pulses with nervous momentum, the title track is a moody dancefloor highlight, and "Beznadezhniy Waltz" adds a melancholic swirl that lingers.

The lyrics stay introspective and wintry, full of loneliness and longing, but there's a strange warmth in the band's rhythms that makes even the bleakest songs feel danceable. "Kolesom" shows how much they can do with a few synth lines and a steady beat.

The phrase belaya polosa refers to a good stretch after hard times, and the title fits a band that keeps finding light in the cold. Fans of Joy Division, Depeche Mode and Kino will find plenty to love, and the clear pressing feels just right for music this crisp and nocturnal.