Monument (Molchat Doma album)

Monument (stylized in Cyrillic) is the third studio album by Belarusian post-punk band Molchat Doma. It was released on 13 November 2020 through Sacred Bones Records, their first release with the label after signing with them in January 2020. It was recorded in their home town of Minsk in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the cancelation of their previously planned 2020 tour. The singles "Не смешно" (Not Funny), "Дискотека" (Discotheque), and "Ответа нет" (No Answer) were released in promotion of the album. Monument received positive reviews from critics and entered some US Billboard charts, including Top Album Sales at No. 97 and World Albums at No. 12.

Monument
Studio album by
Molchat Doma
Released13 November 2020
Recorded2020 in Minsk
Genre
Length40:12
LanguageRussian
LabelSacred Bones
ProducerRoman Komogortsev[lower-alpha 1]
Molchat Doma chronology
Etazhi
(2018)		 Monument
(2020)
Singles from Monument
  1. "Не смешно"
    Released: 15 September 2020
  2. "Дискотека"
    Released: 14 October 2020
  3. "Ответа нет"
    Released: 29 October 2020

Background

Molchat Doma's second studio album, Etazhi (Floors), was released in September 2018. Throughout the next year, the album slowly gained popularity on YouTube through an unofficially uploaded stream of the album, which gained roughly two million listens before being taken down due to a copyright notice, as well as recommandations and playlists on the platform.[1][2][3] While touring in 2019, the band performed the then-unrecorded songs "Не смешно" (Not Funny) and "Ответа нет" (No Answer), both of which would later appear on Monument.[4]

The band later signed with American independent record label Sacred Bones Records in January 2020.[5] Around the same time, one of the songs from Etazhi, "Судно (Борис Рыжий)" (Vessel (Boris Ryzhy)), began gaining popularity on the video sharing platform TikTok as a result of it being used frequently as background music in videos on the platform;[6] this would cause the song to eventually reach No. 2 on the Spotify worldwide Viral 50 chart[7] and No. 1 on the United States Viral 50 chart.[1] Molchat Doma were set to tour North America, alongside American singer-songwriter Chrysta Bell,[5] in 2020, but were forced to postpone their tour dates when the COVID-19 pandemic had severely impacted the continent.[6] While isolating in their home town of Minsk due to the severity of the pandemic, they began recording a new album.[4]

Promotion and release

Monument was officially announced as Molchat Doma's third studio album on 15 September 2020. On the same day, they released the lead single from the album, "Не смешно".[8] A music video for the song was released on 29 September.[9] A second single from the album, "Дискотека" (Discotheque), was released on 14 October, with a music video also being released on the same day.[10] The third and final pre-release single for the album, "Ответа нет" was released on 29 October, with an accompanying lyric video also being released for it. The band also performed the song live on the Russian late night talk show Evening Urgant.[11]

Monument was released on 13 November 2020 through Sacred Bones Records, the band's first release through the label. It received releases on digital platforms for download and streaming as well as physical releases. It received standard releases as a CD, cassette, and black 12-inch vinyl.[4] The album also received multiple exclusive vinyl releases. Through Sacred Bones' website, a blue vinyl limited to 2,000 copies, "blue ice" vinyl limited to 1,000 copies, and blue vinyl with deluxe packaging limited to 400 copies were made available. Members of Sacred Bones' Record Society club were also able to exclusively order a "purple stardust" vinyl through the website.[4] Exclusive versions were also sold by Rough Trade in the United Kingdom as a "black and clear splatter" vinyl,[12] Newbury Comics in the United States as a silver vinyl,[13] and Seasick Records in the United States as a "blue stardust" vinyl.[14]

Reception

Critical
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[15]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[16]
Loud and Quiet8/10[17]
musicOMH[18]
Pitchfork7.0/10[19]
PopMatters[20]
Spectrum Culture80%[21]

Monument received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 80, based on 5 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[15] AllMusic's Paul Simpson felt that Monument sounded "brighter and more polished" than Etazhi as well as "more overtly danceable than their earlier records". Simpson further stated that the album contained "some of their most hook-filled songs to date".[16] Nick Soulsby of PopMatters wrote that "the album's clearest virtue is its precision: nine songs, no filler, no visible weaknesses — Monument is as solid as the monoliths to which it harkens".[20]

Matt Cotsell of musicOMH complimented the album's title and overall imagery, adding that "Molchat Doma are having a blast reclaiming their heritage and proving themselves to be a more than an entertaining chip off the old Bloc".[18] Writing for The Quietus, Laviea Thomas wrote that "in so many ways, Monument encapsulates everything Molchat Doma has to offer", feeling that it was a proper finish to a successful year for the band that included a signing to Sacred Bones Records and an uptick in streams.[22] Pitchfork's Ashley Bardhan felt the album's performances sounded "more confident" with the music sounding "less muddy", also complimenting the band's decision not to "[pander] to the audience attracted by their improbable TikTok breakthrough".[19]

Commercial

In the United States, Monument failed to enter the Billboard 200, the primary album chart for the country, although it entered other Billboard charts. On the Top Album Sales chart, which counts only pure album sales, the album entered at No. 97.[23] On the World Albums chart, which ranks the best-selling world music albums, the album entered at No. 12.[24] Additionally, it peaked at No. 14 on the Top Tastemaker Albums chart[25] and number 21 on the Heatseekers Albums chart.[26]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Egor Shkutko; all music is composed by Roman Komogortsev.

Monument track listing[27]
No.TitleLength
1."Утонуть" ("Drown")5:44
2."Обречен" ("Doomed")4:08
3."Дискотека" ("Discotheque")4:04
4."Не смешно" ("Not Funny")3:52
5."Ответа нет" ("No Answer")4:02
6."Звезды" ("Stars")3:46
7."Удалил твой номер" ("Deleted Your Number")5:10
8."Ленинградский блюз" ("Leningradian Blues")4:00
9."Любить и выполнять" ("To Love and Fulfill")5:26
Total length:40:12

Personnel

Personnel adapted from album liner notes.[27]

Charts
Chart performance for Monument
Chart (2020) Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[28] 21
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[29] 97
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[30] 14
US World Albums (Billboard)[31] 12

References

Notes

  1. Credited for recording and mixing.

References

  1. Zhang, Cat (25 June 2020). "How Belarusian Post-Punks Molchat Doma Became a TikTok Meme". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  2. Dumler, Jean (23 October 2019). "Eine der beliebtesten New-Wave-Bands aus Osteuropa kommt nach Berlin". Tagesspiegel (in German). Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  3. Stefanini, Giacomo. "Se il punk è ancora vivo nel 2020, è anche grazie ai canali YouTube". Vice Italy (in Italian). Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  4. "Molchat Doma: Monument". Sacred Bones Records. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  5. Pearis, Bill (28 January 2020). "Belarusian darkwave band Molchat Doma sign to Sacred Bones, reissuing LPs, touring North America". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  6. Amter, Charlie (18 May 2020). "Belarusian Group That Sounds Like Joy Division Scores Streaming Hit on Anniversary of Ian Curtis' Death". Variety. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  7. Davidson, Emma Elizabeth (21 May 2020). "Three TikTok fashion challenges to shake up your wardrobe". Dazed. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  8. Hussey, Allison (15 September 2020). "Molchat Doma Announce New Album, Share New Song "Ne Smeshno": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  9. Graver, David (29 September 2020). "Molchat Doma: Ne Smeshno". Cool Hunting. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  10. Teeple, Alice (14 October 2020). "Belarusian Post-Punk trio Molchat Doma are a Dancefloor Smash Hit in their Video for "Discotheque"". Post-Punk.com. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  11. "Molchat Doma share single "Otveta Net" & Russian TV performance ahead of album 'Monument' out Nov 13 on Sacred Bones". Bizzarre. 30 October 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  12. "Molchat Doma - Monument". Rough Trade. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  13. "Molchat Doma - Monument Exclusive LP". Newbury Comics. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  14. "Molchat Doma - Monument [LP - Blue Starburst + Print]". Seasick Records. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  15. "Critic Reviews for Monument". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  16. Simpson, Paul. "Monument - Molchat Doma". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  17. Crabtree, Isabel (9 November 2020). "Molchat Doma - Monument". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  18. Cotsell, Matt (13 November 2020). "Molchat Doma – Monument". musicOMH. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  19. Bardhan, Ashley (17 November 2020). "Molchat Doma: Monument Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  20. Soulsby, Nick (9 November 2020). "Molchat Doma's 'Monument' Echoes the Belarusian Protests". PopMatters. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  21. Dempsey, Colin (10 November 2020). "Molchat Doma: Monument". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  22. Thomas, Laviea (18 November 2020). "Molchat Doma - Monument". The Quietus. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  23. "Top Album Sales Chart: Week of November 28, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  24. "World Albums Chart: Week of November 28, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  25. "Tastemaker Albums Chart: Week of November 28, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  26. "Heatseekers Album Chart: Week of November 28, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  27. Monument (vinyl sleeve). Molchat Doma. Sacred Bones Records. 2020. SBR-262.CS1 maint: others (link)
  28. "Molchat Doma Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  29. "Molchat Doma Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  30. "Molchat Doma Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  31. "Molchat Doma Chart History (World Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
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