YOUR FAVORITE MTV SHOWS ARE ON PARAMOUNT+

Moscow Band Pompeya Brings In The Funk With 'Slaver'

pompeya-album-500

Moscow-based synthpop/new-wavers Pompeya will see the U.S release of their LP, Tropical, in late October via Brooklyn label No Shame. Prior to the release, we've got the premiere of the first single, "Slaver."

While difficult to imagine the quartet’s warm, ornate, '80s-inspired funk coming from the depths of an arctic tundra, the quartet have shaped their own make of soul/funk music since forming in 2007 as a side project for members of Moscow bands Silence Kit and My Favorite Games.

"Slaver," the first single and opening track off Tropical, is a supreme debut into the celestial world that is Pompeya. With a clear knack for arrangement, the band merges lush synths with spiraling guitars and a rhythm section bringing relentless, heavy funk. There is a weightlessness to the track, as if written while floating through space and time. Trance-inducing, the track may impel you to sit in silence for a few minutes as the song concludes before remembering where you are. While other nostalgia-obsessed dance acts focus primarily on tones, it’s restoring to hear such substantial songwriting.

Setting them apart even further from the pack is an unprecedented confidence vocally, also fairly uncharacteristic of a genre notoriously guilty of hiding behind effects. Rather than fighting for the spotlight, there is mutual accord and peace between the instruments and vocals. Polished yet never over-done production combined with the consistent uptempo groove of the song makes for one hell of a late-summer night jam.

Pompeya, who played their first U.S. shows in 2012 headlining NYC’s Mercury Lounge and Glasslands Gallery, are gearing up for some more U.S dates this fall. Put your mind and body at ease with "Slaver" below.

Tropical drops on October 29th via No Shame.

Latest News