Belarusian post-punk group Molchat Doma have enjoyed one of those meteoric rises so unlikely you can’t help but poke your head in to see what the fuss is all about. It doesn’t quite feel like half a decade ago that these guys were riding a wave of fame via TikTok virality. Fortunately, their fabulous output has put that to bed as their profile has steadily risen with each release. The trio is touring on 2024’s stellar Belaya Polosa, which finds the band has further refined their sound and raised the stakes with a high-profile tour through the largest venues they’ve ever played.
Now living in Los Angeles, the band left Minsk after the Russian invasion of Ukraine only to find political headwinds in America along with catastrophic weather events in LA that make even the worst winter in Eastern Europe seem tame. It seems these guys can’t catch a break, but their austere personas and gloomy 80s-indebted rock music invite listeners to assume that. Combining industrial beats with electronic textures, Molchat Doma’s sonic palette will be familiar to anyone interested in the darker side of punk music. And while Molchat Doma’s albums don’t precisely bring anything new to the canon, they do as good a job as any at synthesizing the driving energy of early Ministry and Cabaret Voltaire with the dark romanticism of acts like Depeche Mode.
Molchat Doma has only played Chicago a handful of times, making Friday night’s show at the Salt Shed one of the most highly anticipated of the year. Opener Sextile started the evening admirably with their abrasive brand of synth-soaked punk music. The energetic LA group’s punchy beats and gnarly electronics made for a fitting start to the evening as most fans had already filed in for their 30 minutes of dancey synthpunk. The industrial-dance sounds on “Disco” certainly fit the crowd’s sonic wheelhouse and songs like “No Fun,” and brand new single “Freak Eyes” perfectly channeled 90s rave that commanded a response most openers would kill for.
Molchat Doma’s music is ready-made for the Rust Belt, and there isn’t a music venue in Chicago better suited to host the trio than the repurposed factory. The Salt Shed’s industrial setting, with a cavernous space accented by steel beams and brick of the original building, provided the perfect backdrop for the icy soundscape created by synthesizers, electronic percussion, bass, occasional guitar, and the baritone delivered entirely in the band’s native tongue. The light show filtered through the exposed rafters to cast lengthy and contorted shadows. This sort of stark imagery is a mirror reflection of the music.
Layers of electronic flourishes filled the room as their tempo built when Molchat Doma began their set with “Kolesom.” Driven to their precise rhythms by drum machines and other backing tracks, they’re as tight and exact live as they are on records, but the impassioned vocal delivery and grandiose stage presence of frontman Egor Shkutko balance out the rigidity of their melodies. The band is phenomenal at putting listeners into a trance during their lengthy introductions, only to snap them out of it with bludgeoning electronic drumbeats and a flurry of sound effects and bass.
Musicianship is rarely a focus for this genre of music, but Molchat Doma has an instrumental muscularity that really elevates the live experience. The soaring synth sequences on tracks like “III” display the dynamism rarely felt with electronic equipment. Guitars aren’t prominently featured, save for songs like “Obrechen” when Roman Komogortsev’s strumming is truly reminiscent of Closer-era Joy Division. Emotive basslines will weave in and out of the sonic fray, and some of the more pronounced riffs cut through the layers of synths to become the focal point.
“Belaya Polosa,” the title track off their most recent album, features some of the band’s most interesting arrangements. Eerie synthesizer blips flirt with a beat that's reminiscent of trip-hop while yearning vocals play just above the surface. It’s all mood. There’s something familiar about their sound that you can’t quite place. It wouldn't sound out of place on the soundtrack of a James Bond video game where players navigate a backwater Soviet military base.
If you only read album reviews or even just look at the band’s profile on paper, a Molchat Doma show might not sound like much fun. But tracks like “Discoteque” prove just the opposite. The push-pull between dance-y beats and hard-edged punk influences create a lively experience, especially as the tempo rises and falls to suit the mood. There are even a few extended jams that really find the band grooving.
After showcasing most of the new album and cuts from other releases, Molchat Doma closed the show with a slew of songs from breakthrough album Etazhi. The rawness of their early tracks (where the vocals are so lo-fi you’re not sure if it’s intentional or the result of shoddy recording equipment back in Minsk) make for fascinating listens alongside the polish of newer songs. Listening at home, they couldn’t sound more different. Live, the sonic deficit is lessened and these tracks are given new life. These were slightly more glossy and dynamic than the cold minimalism on the records, especially given the heartfelt vocal delivery and live-wire grooves from the bass. Songs like “Kletka” and show closer “Sudno” have become fully realized on stage, making seeing Molchat Doma a vital live music experience in 2025. Masters of their craft, indeed.
On the surface, the band’s novelty is hard to deny. But Molchat Doma have admirably transcended that by steadily building their discography and improving songcraft. Thankfully, they’ve avoided gimmickry entirely to become a vital part of a punk and new-wave scene that’s been too reliant on nostalgia. There is still a certain mystique to the band, even as the trio becomes more familiar to audiences in America. If Friday’s show is any indication, there might even be bigger things in store for Molchat Doma.