Etazhi

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Etazhi
Molchat Doma - Etazhi.png
Studio album by
Molchat Doma
Released7 September 2018
Recorded2017–2018 in Minsk
Genre
Length33:13
LanguageRussian
LabelDetriti
ProducerRoman Komogortsev[a]
Molchat Doma chronology
S krysh nashikh domov
(2017) 		Etazhi
(2018) 		Monument
(2020)
Singles from Etazhi
  1. "Коммерсанты"
    Released: 24 July 2017

Etazhi (IPA: [ɪtɐˈʐɨ], Russian: Этажи, lit. 'Floors') is the second studio album by Belarusian post-punk band Molchat Doma, first released on 7 September 2018 through Detriti Records. Following the band's signing with Sacred Bones Records in January 2020, the album was released in North America for the first time on 27 March 2020.

Composition[]

The production of Etazhi has been described as lo-fi but slightly more clean and reminiscent of 80s music than the band's 2017 debut album, С крыш наших домов (From Our Houses' Rooftops). A drum machine, programmed by the band's guitarist and sound engineer Roman Komogortsev, is used throughout in place of a standard acoustic drummer. Maximilian Turp-Balazs of Emerging Europe drew comparisons to New Order's 1983 album Power, Corruption & Lies, especially for the album's opening track, "На дне" ("At the Bottom").[2]

Politics is a major lyrical theme in the album, with songs being written about oppression, life under communism in their home country of Belarus, and government officials sharing similarities with businessmen.[2] Turp-Balazs explains:

[T]hese lyrical themes are hinted at by the album name, referencing the tall Stalinist apartment blocks that still dominate the landscapes of many former Soviet cities, as well as the album cover which depicts the Hotel Panorama in present-day Slovakia, often considered an icon of socialist-realist architecture.[2]

"Судно (Борис Рыжий)" is the musicalized version of the poem "Эмалированное судно" ("Enamelled Bedpan") by the late poet and writer Boris Ryzhy.[3][4]

Release[]

Over a year prior to the release of the album, the eighth track, "Коммерсанты" ("Businessmen"), was self-released as a digital single through Bandcamp on 24 July 2017.[5] Etazhi was first released on 7 September 2018[1] through German independent label Detriti Records as a download and 12-inch vinyl.[6] The album was also unofficially uploaded in full to YouTube by a user named "Harakiri Diat", who had also uploaded full albums by other post-punk and synthwave bands.[7] That upload of Etazhi garnered two million listens before eventually being taken down due to a copyright notice in 2020.[8]

In January 2020, Molchat Doma signed with American independent label Sacred Bones Records, who later reissued Etazhi on 27 March 2020. The reissue was also the first North American pressing of the album.[9] Throughout the first half of 2020, the album's seventh track, "Судно (Борис Рыжий)" ["Bedpan (Boris Ryzhy)"], gained viral popularity as a result of the song being used often as background music on TikTok;[10][11] the song has appeared in around 100,000 videos on the platform.[8] The song peaked at number two on the Spotify Global Viral 50 chart[11] and number one on the United States Viral 50 chart in early May.[8]

Track listing[]

All lyrics are written by Egor Shkutko, except "Sudno" by Boris Ryzhy; all music is composed by Roman Komogortsev.

Этажи (Etazhi) track listing[1]
No.TitleLength
1."На дне" (Na dnye, "At the Bottom")4:07
2."Танцевать" (Tantsevat', "Dance")3:22
3."Фильмы" (Fil'my, "Films")4:17
4."Волны" (Volny, "Waves")4:21
5."Тоска" (Toska, "Yearning")3:09
6."Прогноз" (Prognoz, "Forecast")3:04
7."Судно (Борис Рыжий)" (Sudno (Boris Ryzhiy), "Bedpan (Boris Ryzhy)")2:21
8."Коммерсанты" (Kommersanty, "Businessmen")3:49
9."Клетка" (Kletka, "Cage")4:43
Total length:33:13

Personnel[]

Personnel:[1]

  • Egor Shkutko – vocals
  • Roman Komogortsev – guitar, synthesizers, drum machine programming, mixing, recording, mastering
  • Pavel Kozlov – bass guitar, synthesizers

Release history[]

Region Date Format Label Catalog no. Ref.
Various 7 September 2018 Download, streaming Detriti N/A [1][6]
Europe 12-inch vinyl DR-004 [6][12]
North America 27 March 2020 12-inch vinyl Sacred Bones SBRLP3037 [13]
CD SBRCD3037 [13]

References[]

Notes

  1. ^ Credited for recording and mixing.[1]

References

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "etazhi (2018) | Molchat Doma". Bandcamp. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Turp-Balazs, Maximilian (15 February 2020). "Postcard from a Molchat Doma gig". Emerging Europe. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Эмалированное судно... - Рыжий Борис". stihirus.ru. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  4. ^ "Молчат Дома = Molchat Doma* - Этажи = Etazhi". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  5. ^ "kommersanty (single 2017) | Molchat Doma". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c Lusso, Fabrizio (1 August 2018). "WL//WH Track Of The Day: Molchat Doma "Volny"". White Light//White Heat. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  7. ^ Stefanini, Giacomo. "Se il punk è ancora vivo nel 2020, è anche grazie ai canali YouTube". Vice Italy (in Italian). Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c Zhang, Cat (25 June 2020). "How Belarusian Post-Punks Molchat Doma Became a TikTok Meme". Pitchfork. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  9. ^ Pearis, Bill (28 January 2020). "Belarusian darkwave band Molchat Doma sign to Sacred Bones, reissuing LPs, touring North America". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  10. ^ Davidson, Emma Elizabeth (21 May 2020). "Three TikTok fashion challenges to shake up your wardrobe". Dazed. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Amter, Charlie (18 May 2020). "Belarusian Group That Sounds Like Joy Division Scores Streaming Hit on Anniversary of Ian Curtis' Death". Variety. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  12. ^ Этажи (Etazhi) (vinyl sleeve). Molchat Doma. Detriti Records. 2018. DR-004.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b "Molchat Doma - Etazhi". Ultratop. Retrieved 17 September 2020.

External links[]

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