Interview with Molchat Doma
Mainly due to the barrier of language, the story behind Belarusian phenomenon Molchat Doma has remained a well kept secret in the west. Before the band played a sold-out show at Slaktkyrkan in Stockholm last year, Hinsides Magazine managed to cross this barrier with a highly exclusive and informative interview as result. A very special occasion that come about thanx to the great work of Robert Johnsson at Playground Music Sweden and Elena Andersson.
So, fasten your seatbelt folks, it´s time to go to Minsk!
Translator and Interviewer:
Elena Andersson
Photo:
Vilma Vidjeskog
Text:
Hinsides Magazine 2022
…
Egor. Live at Slaktkyrkan 11/11/21
So, how did you guys meet, and what did you do prior to Molchat Doma?
Roman: We´re all from the construction industry.
Egor: Roman and I studied together. I'm an electrician and Roman is a bricklayer.
Pavel: I´ve worked as a welder, and that´s how we met and got to know each other.
And now Molchat Doma is out on a highly anticipated tour to meet fans in a lot of different countries. Since you´ve been here a few times before it would be interesting to know what kind of impressions you´ve got from Sweden? Confirmed prejudices or not?
Pavel: We´ve been to Sweden four times but still we haven´t seen that much of the country, to be honest. We don’t usually go out to see things when we get somewhere to play. For example: we came here this morning, ate a little, rigged up and did a soundcheck. Now we’re talking to you and afterwards we´ll go to the hotel and take a nap before tonight’s concert. Tomorrow we´ll leave already at seven o´clock in the morning.
But the little you´ve seen of the country - does it correspond to your expectations and the general stereotypes?
Pavel: I´ve only taken a short walk here in Stockholm. The architecture is nice. Letters in gold and narrow streets. But you do not understand anything when it comes to the language… You´re going crazy!
Egor: The most important stereotype I had when I was on my way to Scandinavia for the first time had to do with the weather. We were supposed to play here this spring according to our own requirements and wishes, because we thought it would be warmer to stay here then. But instead, our gigs in Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen and Helsinki were rebooked to the late autumn, almost winter. We were afraid that it would be very cold here.
Roman: That Scandinavia simply would be a gloomy place in terms of what the weather is like…
Egor: And that it already would be a snowfall and full (real) winter…
Pavel: But instead, it´s quite warm and sunny here!
Roman: What I had heard a lot about, and what was interesting to me before we traveled here, was the waste management according to the recycling principle. That's very cool! We try to do this in the same fashion at home, but unfortunately it doesn’t work in practice. Here it works great though!
Egor: We got some separate containers, but in the end they would still throw everything in the same bin… It does not work at all, in other words.
Pavel: I just wonder how you manage to eat that stinky herring? The first time I ate it, it was very, very bad, the second time - just bad. The third time it might be fairly ok.
Roman: It will be normal, hahaha.
Egor, Roman and Pavel. Backstage at Slaktkyrkan.
Haha, it´s definitely what you call an ”aquired taste”, yes. So, is there any special place of importance for Molchat Doma then?
Roman: One probably needs to think a little…
Pavel: Anywhere we are at the same time is an important place for us! Now we´re here and that means something important.
Roman: Possibly it's Kamchatka, but that was a long time ago.
Egor: Yes, we did a lot of things there…
Pavel: We were there all three of us, but only once… I don´t know.
Roman: In short: we have no specific place!
Pavel: On the contrary - there are many such places! When we come together to a rehearsal, it becomes an important place for us.
Do each of you have your own favorite place then?
Pavel: Bar "Karma" in Minsk, and in Kiev as well, which I have opened with my friends, is such a place for me.
Roman: Some international advertising now…
Pavel: We also plan to open another bar in Gdansk, Poland. It's a family bar, you could say. There we´re all brothers and sisters, although we´ve got different mothers…
Egor: I think you will mislead people.
Roman: For me, it's the studio where we work with our new material. I basically live there from time to time. Getting there early in the morning and leaving very late in the evening. There I feel maximum comfort. Otherwise, it's usually my own room at home where I´m able to contemplate and relax. I like being at home. It´s comfortable.
Egor: My favorite place is probably also my home. And the village out in the country.
Post-Soviet postcard by Hinsides Magazine.
So what can you tell our readers about the name Molchat Doma? What does it mean and how did you come up with it? Is there any kind of symbolism involved?
Roman: The name Molchat Doma is actually completely unintentional and there´s no specific story behind it. It´s simply a combination of words that we thought sounded good.
Pavel: We needed a name, so we came up with one.
Does it have anything to do with politics?
Everyone: No, not in any way.
* Comment: "Molchat Doma" can be translated in two ways, depending on which syllable that is emphasized in the word "Doma" - 1. The houses are quiet. 2. You are quiet at home.
Roman: When it comes to symbolism, our current logo is inspired by metal bands from the 80’s. That´s the reference we gave to the person who designed it. None of the post-punk bands have anything like this, and we ourselves think it´s a cool look. That kind of logos are the best! Previously, we had a logotype with the East German national coat of arms, i.e., the hammer and the circle passer, that was turned upside down to express anti-totalitarianism.
Pavel: The national coat of arms of Belarus is still a bit in the same style…
Collage by Hinsides Magazine.
Ok, so If Molchat Doma were a person, how would you describe that specific individual?
Pavel: If our band was a person, I would probably not hang out with that one!
Roman: Yes, that would´ve been a horrible sight.
Egor: That's a very difficult question. Trying to imagine someone, but unfortunately I can´t…
Pavel: This person most certainly would´ve been of the depressive kind. When we were finishing our latest record, I went for a drive at 2 o'clock at night and heard the album a few times… When I got home, I felt completely devastated and had depressive thoughts - therefore I would definitely limit my contact with such a person.
Roman: A bad example is contagious… It would´ve been an introvert, a quiet person.
Pavel: A person who would romanticize about everything… Partly an alcoholic. A heavy drinker - no doubt about that!
Of male or female sex?
Pavel: As you say here in Europe - somewhere in between, a ”non-binary". Of an indefinite sex.
Would there be any specific events of importance to the personal development of this persona? What kind of literature would you find on the bookshelves at that person's home? (If there´s anything.)
Pavel: This is a very interesting question but also difficult to answer as this person should have to represent all three of us and we are in fact quite different…
Roman: Not quite, but completely different!
Pavel: The only thing we have in common is that we happen to do something together. But we are, as I said, very different. For example, we don’t listen to the same music. There may be something in common somewhere, but we talk about significant differences here. At home we like to do different things and we read different books.
Roman: We have to say it as it is: each one of us has his own taste. I personally prefer books by Albert Camus or Franz Kafka. They are the pillars of existentialism.
Gregor Samsa
Nostalgia belongs to the past
How much nostalgia is there in Molchat Doma, and how do you relate to this kind of mindset?
Roman: Nostalgia probably played a part in the early stage of the band. Now we deviate from this concept by choosing a different direction. The reason to this is that we want to focus on what happens with ourselves and around us right now instead. More than that, we tend to look more towards the future nowadays.
Pavel: It's not a matter of nostalgia! We live in Minsk that is a post-Soviet city. A common, dull element in the cityscape are those large, grey buildings made out of concrete. If you don’t romanticize them, it would probably be impossible to live there.
Roman: It exists, as I said, in the past. I think the rest of the band agrees with me that we´re not so much inspired by the past right now.
The cover of “Monument”. Sacred Bones Records 2022
So what can we expect from you on the next album then? What will it sound like compared to "Monument"?
Roman: An interesting question, but we know nothing about that yet!
Do you have the time needed to work on new material?
Roman: Yes, in the beginning of the pandemic we had plenty of time. We played at a couple of festivals but not regularly. At the same time we worked a bit on the new material.
In what stage are you in the working process?
Roman: I would say we´re in a "mixed" stage. We do both create new songs and develop the songs that we already have the basic foundations of. For example, we got a track that we´re working on in the studio. Testing new things, experimenting with synth and guitar sounds, etc. In general, it is a pretty interesting process when we create something new and it seems as if the sound will be a little bit different this time.
Pavel: This process can be very inspiring!
Egor: We´re experimenting with the sound and the structure, you could say… We discover something new for us and try to use it in the music.
Roman and Pavel approves!
You´ve just read the most of a interview that Hinsides Magazine made with Molchat Doma in November 2021. The whole conversation will be published in the next physical issue of the paper in question. Previous issues can be ordered here: