www.montereycountynow.com AUGUST 27-SEPTEMBER 2, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 27 MUSIC When Molchat Doma (literally “the houses are silent”) formed in 2017 in Minsk, Belarus, nothing indicated the band would go viral, find a home in California and embody the doom of the international social media generation—all while remaining unrecognized in its own country. Their sound, described as cold, danceable post-punk built on drum machines, seems time- and place-specific—the Soviet ’80s in Eastern Europe. Yet it proves to be universal. Vocalist Egor Shkutko, guitarist and drum-machine architect Roman Komogortsev and bassist Pavel Kozlov were catapulted to fame due to a 2019 YouTube “doomer music” compilation. Soon they were discovered by TikTok users. Their 2017 debut album S krysh nashikh domov (From the Roofs of Our Houses) was recorded on an old laptop before they had a studio or a label. Three years later, with their hit “Sudno,” they are no. 2 on Spotify’s Global Viral 50 and no. 1 on the U.S. chart. Four albums on—including 2020’s Monument, recorded in Minsk under Covid lockdown—the band has relocated from Belarus to Los Angeles, a move reflected in the 2024 album Belaya Polosa, a considerably brighter turn toward ’90s synth-pop and Depeche Mode. “We haven’t been in California for that long,” Kozlov says. “And honestly, the sunny, laid-back atmosphere here matches our inner state quite well.” The barrier one might expect of a Russianlanguage band in California, he insists, scarcely troubles them. “I don’t really think there is a language barrier,” Kozlov adds. “We speak English pretty well, we communicate with our fans, and we give interviews in English.” The lyrics themselves, meanwhile, remain untranslated as a matter of principle. “Music is art, and language is simply our way and form of expressing it,” Kozlov says. “Anyone who is interested can easily use a translator and find out what our lyrics are about. At the same time, I think it’s always interesting to leave some mystery behind and give people some space for their own thoughts and interpretations. I think that’s also part of art.” From a laptop to Coachella’s main stage, sharing stages with New Order and Tears for Fears, Molchat Doma has proven that silence carries. Molchat Doma performs 7pm Tuesday, Sept. 1. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $54-$100. (831) 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com. ALINA PASOK AND KARIM BELKASEMI Home Range With its Soviet-era sound, Molchat Doma finds an audience among young American doomers. By Agata Popęda The members of Molchat Doma learned about their immense TikTok fame from their own label. Hear the Belarusian post-punk sensation in Monterey on Tuesday, Sept. 1. www.folktalewinery.com C medy SAN FRANCISCO COMEDY COMPETITION OPENING NIGHT OF THE 50TH SAN FRANCISCO COMEDY COMPETITION: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 03 JOIN US FOR AN EVENING OF WINE, FOOD, AND BIG LAUGHS AS 16 TALENTED COMEDIANS TAKE THE STAGE!
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==