We Are

Rich, dark, romantic, apocalyptic, brooding… The swirling aural textures of this Russian quartet's debut album give rise to a surfeit of adjectives. Encompassing a dizzying fusion of fuzzy, even scuzzy, sonic psychedelia with elements of hypnotic krautrock, soaring vocal harmonies and a rhythm section that will readily switch between complex and subtle jazz drumming and squared-off punk rock beats this is a deceptively dense piece of music that rewards repeated listening.

As with the rhythm section, vocals move from one extreme to another. At first soaring away with a great purity while nestled so deep in the mix that they sound like deeply interwoven instrumentation, only to then switch to staccato chants that slice through chopping guitar rhythms with an acidic precision. Russian and Slavic folklore is part of the image and identity of the group, and this in some ways translates into Gothic sensibilities and stylings. ‘Knife’, a surging song that seems to be about domestic violence, uses the motif of the witch, and elsewhere lyrics are sometimes incanted as though they are hexes. Taken together the mixture of these very distinctive elements makes for a highly intriguing whole, its barely contained energy threatening to overflow and overpower the senses.