Out this Friday is Belaya Polosa, the brand new one from Belarus’ post-punks Molchat Doma. The trio’s fourth album stays true to the dark, haunting, beautiful sound Roman, Egor and Pavel have created across their previous work but this time there’s something different in the mix.

After relocating to Los Angeles in 2022, the group have experimented with their sound, introducing colour to their black and white world. It suits them. Second single ‘Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh Kto Ya‘ sees the band play with the warehouse rave intensity of EBM and even a Queer love story in the video. On album track and Loverboy’s current favourite ‘III‘, they switch up the synths and dial the tempo up even further with added optimism. But that enveloping darkness is never far away with Molchat Doma venturing into Trip Hop with the title track.

With the album out this Friday via Sacred Bones and the band on tour across UK & Europe this Autumn, we caught up them to discuss their search for light in the darkness, their most underrated tracks and yes, even their favourite Mariah Carey song…with possibly our favourite answer of all time.

First up, congratulations on Belaya Polosa. A beautiful album. I have the translation here as ‘white stripe.’ What was it about this track that made you decide it should also be the name of the album?
Roman: ‘Belaya Polosa’ symbolizes the contrast between light and dark periods in life. This idea reflects the overall atmosphere and mood of our music, where light and darkness are always intertwined. We chose this track for the album title because it embodies the key themes of the entire album: the search for light in the darkness and overcoming personal difficulties.

There is a definite Massive Attack/Tricky Trip-Hop sound to the track. Egor, Roman, in your previous band you incorporated Trip-Hop, right? Tell us about bringing this element to ‘Belaya Polosa’ and how it works through the lens of Molchat Doma.
Egor: Yes, in the past, we experimented with Trip-Hop, especially in other projects. For us, Trip-Hop became a way to add depth and texture to our music. In ‘Belaya Polosa,’ this style takes on a darker and more detached tone, which aligns with the overall sound of Molchat Doma. We strive to integrate elements from different genres to keep our music fresh and unpredictable.

I love ‘Chernye Tsvety’. I wondered if this song was about a lover? Or someone you looked up to? Can you tell us more about who you are singing to?
Egor: ’Chernye Tsvety’ is a song about deep emotional experiences that can be interpreted in different ways. While the lyrics remain abstract, they are inspired by personal feelings and associations. It could certainly be a story about a lover, but we prefer to leave the interpretation to the listener.

On ‘III’ we have optimism with lyrics like, ‘On this languid evening, anything could happen.’ Do you feel optimism is more present on this album?
Pavel: Optimism is a complex theme for us. Perhaps this album does indeed have more moments of light, but even they are tinged with darker shades. We find beauty in contrast, and maybe this is our way of expressing hope in this album. It’s the balance between light and dark that makes our sound unique.

From the waves at the intro, to the slide guitar, Egor’s haunting vocals and the imagery in the lyrics, ‘Ne Vdvoem’ made me think of the song/video for Chris Isaak’s ‘Wicked Game.’ I wondered if this song meant anything to you?
Roman: We often draw inspiration from various sources, including iconic tracks like ‘Wicked Game.’ However, our version of the story is much colder and darker, which is in line with our style. We appreciate such parallels as they highlight the universality of musical emotions.

I read that when recording ‘Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh Kto Ya,’ you were picturing a jive dancer. Tell us more about this jive dancer you imagined. Do you envisage different characters when writing a lot of your material?
Pavel: The image of a jive dancer during the recording added elements of rhythm and movement to the composition. This made the picture more dynamic and lively, allowing us to express the musical idea more vividly. We often imagine different images and characters to bring our lyrics to life and create visually and emotionally rich compositions.

The video features a Queer romance storyline. Was that something the director introduced, something you were interested in bringing? The lyrics are about a long distance relationship, but work well for minority visibility too.
Egor: The idea of Queer romance in the video was suggested by the director, and we supported it. The theme of love is universal. We always aim for our lyrics and videos to be open to various interpretations, and this storyline aligns well with our approach.

I have been escaping to the chilly vibes of your album during Barcelona’s blistering hot summer. What do you listen to in summer? Do you find you are influenced by the climate whether writing or listening?
Pavel: Summer is a time of contrasts for us. We might listen to something light and airy, but more often, we turn to music that reminds us of cool evenings and cold, which is reflected in our creativity. The climate certainly influences our perception of music and our creative process.

Reddit has seemingly decided that ‘Kommerstanty’ is your most underrated song. How do you feel about that? Which of your songs do you feel is the most underrated?
Roman: It’s interesting that ‘Kommerstanty’ is considered underrated, but for us, every track is important in its own way. We believe that some of our older works, such as ‘Leningradka’ and ‘Obrechyon,’ also deserve more attention.
Egor: Ultimately, each song has its own audience and significance.

You’re touring this Autumn. I’m looking forward to your Barcelona date. Here we have two iconic buildings I could see on a Molchat Doma album cover. The Montjuic Telecommunications Tower and Badalona’s old power station. I wondered which you would choose for a cover, why and how it might affect the energy of the album?
Pavel: Both buildings are magnificent. If we were to choose one, it might be the Badalona power station due to its powerful industrial atmosphere, which aligns well with the energy of our sound. We often find inspiration in industrial landscapes, and such a choice could reflect our love for raw, urban elements.

In Spain there was the famous La Ruta De Bacalao which saw bands like Depeche Mode, Siouxsie & The Banshees and New Model Army have huge success in Valencia in the 80s. It was a reaction to the death of Franco and newfound liberation. Which country’s history and musical period most interests you?
Egor: We have always been fascinated by music that emerges at the crossroads of cultural shifts and social changes. For example, we are greatly inspired by the music of the 80s in the USSR when societal changes gave birth to a new musical language. We are also intrigued by the history and musical movements in other countries, especially during periods of significant social change.

On Instagram I see that Moodymann follows you. I love the idea of Moodymann giving us a Molchat Doma remix. Which track would you have him remix and can we expect any artists remixing singles from ‘Belaya Polosa’?
Roman: Honestly, we’re not familiar with Moodymann’s work, and this is the first time we’ve heard of him. Of course, we’ll check out his music and consider the possibility of collaboration. In general, we are open to working with other artists to create remixes of tracks from ‘Belaya Polosa’.

When reading about bands you like, a lot of male names are mentioned. I wondered if you could tell us some of the female artists you have always loved and equally others you are discovering now?
Egor: Among female performers, we have always admired artists like Siouxsie Sioux and Laura Marling. We are also big fans of Alison Mosshart and the band Warpaint.
Roman: Beth Gibbons of Portishead has a significant influence on us, as does Dido. From more mainstream artists, we appreciate Madonna, Björk, Patti Smith, and Amy Winehouse. All these women have made a huge contribution to the musical culture, and their work continues to inspire us to create music.

Lastly we are named after the legendary song by Mariah Carey and so we always ask what is your favourite Mariah Carey song?
Pavel:  Our favorite Mariah Carey song is ‘Always Be My Baby’. What draws us to this song is its effortless melodicism and emotional depth. There’s something enveloping in its rhythm and lyrics that immerse us in nostalgic memories. The song reminds us that true feelings and connections with people remain with us forever, regardless of how our lives change. Mariah’s vocals in this song are particularly impressive, creating an atmosphere of warmth and tenderness that resonates with our own musical pursuit of finding moments of light in a dark aesthetic.

Belaya Polosa is out Friday
For tour dates and tickets see www.molchatdoma.com