Year: 2025
Label: Zoharum

Zoharum is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you gonna get”, as Forrest Gump once famously said.

Well, he didn’t say that, but were he into writing about music and was on Zoharum’s promo list, he would have. Whenever one receives a package from the productive and open-minded Polish label, one must be ready for surprises. This latest batch is no different in that matter.

Without a doubt, Hvast is one of the more intriguing, weird and unpredictable of the lot. Their debut album Chwasty Polskie was, apparently, born out of jamming just for fun amongst members of currently defunct NVC. It sounds like that, too: like there wasn’t any big, over-arching musical concept to begin with, just people fiddling around and seeing what happens. And, ultimately, an album happened.

That’s not to say Chwasty Polskie is utter chaos. Actually, somewhat paradoxically, it’s surprisingly coherent whilst at the same time each track has its own distinct nature and doesn’t necessarily sound anything like the other tracks.

So, what does the album sound like? Again, simultaneously, a difficult and easy question to answer. The sound is heavily rooted in synthesizers with a decidedly retro tone to them. Not necessarily so much 80’s, as is the expectation when one says “retro synths”, but more 90’s synth sounds. The drums lend the album a jazzy aspect. And then there are atonal, experimental layers of electronics, which dip a toe into even industrial territory.

And this is where it gets difficult to describe the album, because none of the above descriptions apply to all tracks.

Let’s take a couple of examples. Second track Kąkol has very retro, almost video game like synth sounds. Combined with a powerful, even slightly militantly rolling drum beat, the track wouldn’t be out of place on a dungeon synth album. It is followed by Łopian, which forsakes melody and structure for atonal, abstract and experimental industrial electronics, with a bit of bass to provide a non-melodic backbone. And after that, Wrotycz I Nawłoć, a track with dominant electric guitar playing a very atmospheric melody (complemented by some flute, I believe!), making it both musically and instrumentation-wise the most conventional track on the album.

I’m guessing you’re starting to see the difficulty in pinpointing Chwasty Polskie’s sound. Because at the same time as each track has a very distinct sound, the album sounds coherent to an unlikely degree. Which is, of course, praise. It’s no mean feat to pull strands as disparate as these together, and make it sound like an album instead of a compilation of random tracks.

Hvast is far from the most outlandish stuff Zoharum have released. This is actually quite easy to listen to, as opposed to some of the weirdness on the label. At the same time, this certainly isn’t the epitome of easy listening. The entirely instrumental album takes some effort and a certain kind of adventurous mindset to get into. But if you check these two boxes, and fancy yourself some experimental, electronic, jazzy, progressive, improvisation based musical oddity – absolutely check this out!

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