Motorama “Corona”

06 Apr 2015 — Ethan Jacobs

Considering how prolific the Russian post-punk outfit Motorama is, it’s slightly surprising they haven’t garnered more attention from major music outlets. Even so, over the course of three full-length LPs and several EPs and singles scattered in-between, Motorama’s discography boasts impressive consistency and palpable sentiment. On their newest release Poverty for Talitres Records, the shadowy Rostov-On-Donians aren’t concerned with delivering something new as much as they are with polishing their distinctive post-punk appeal. On the album’s opener "Corona", we get a comprehensive preview of what the rest of the record sounds like—twinkling guitar picking that keeps up with driving, propulsive bass lines, modest electronic contributions, and, perhaps the group’s most distinguishing quality, the lead singer’s pained vocals which round out the gray atmosphere that envelops Motorama. Bearing in mind the band’s unwavering pursuit of a specific post-punk aesthetic, Motorama could best be personified by a cold, steely robot—a robot that can feel deeply.