Year: 2026
Label: Zoharum
Once again, I am on the outer fringes of my musical expertise, and actually well beyond it. This is no uncommon occurrence when a new batch of promos from Polish Zoharum lands in my mailbox. Which, as I have commented before, can be both frustrating and exciting. It’s exciting to have to flex one’s descriptive muscles outside of what one usually writes about. And it’s frustrating when one can’t find the right words.
In the case of Polish Popsysze, it’s not so much about the outlandish or experimental nature of their music. On the contrary, as far as Zoharum goes, Powięź is positively conventional. It’s got drums, bass, guitars and vocals at its core. It’s just that what they make with those isn’t the kind of stuff I usually listen to.
The promo sheet throws around terms such as psychedelic electronica, kraut rock, post rock, afro beat and desert blues. If you’ve been reading ODIR for a while, you’ll not be surprised when I say I’m out of my depth here. Any knowledge I have of aforementioned genres is cursory at best, nonexistent for the most part. So I can’t resort to name dropping and regurgitating recycled descriptions.
Essentially, I would describe Powięź as experimental, psychedelic rock above all. Whilst there are synths and electronic elements here, for the most part the songs are based on a solid foundation of classic rock instruments. Instead of classic hippie psychedelia, Popsysze bring in these beautifully languid, dreamy moments like a sunrise over the desert. I can definitely hear the desert blues element frequently on Powięź, that being one of the few aforementioned genres I have a very vague knowledge of; Popsysze utilize it beautifully to create sublime atmospheres.
At other moments Powięź charges with more energy and drive, such as on opening track Nero 1, starting with a dynamic, driving uptempo beat, driving bass line and some very energetic riffs. There’s a sense of playful adventurousness in these more uptempo moments, which frequently manages to sweep away the listener as well. Apparently free experimentation was a key element in the making of this album, and that’s exactly how Powięź sounds: built from the pure joy of musicians finding a common wavelength to collaborate on.
And yes, there are also electronics here, lending credence to the “psychedelic electronica” mentioned in the promo sheet. But above all, Powięź is an organic album; the electronic instrumentation never dominates over the real instruments or the human element. Instead, Powięź finds a balance: between the electronic and the organic, as well as the different musical elements.
As established, this is very much outside of my usual musical diet. I can’t name drop references, and I find it hard to describe the music. But I can tell you this: I really like Powięź. The slow, peaceful, atmospheric moments paint pictures of sunrises over the wilderness and the mystical cool of early morn, whilst the more upbeat moments are replete with the sheer exuberance of creating music, of making ideas breathe and communicate.
Powięź is testament to the fact that sometimes, it’s good to venture outside of one’s comfort zone.
Only Death Is Real 