Gnoomes – Foreign Agent
Gnoomes are Sasha Piankov and Masha Piankova, a married duo originally from Russia who relocated to rural Slovenia, a decision Sasha describes as “not just political, it was a nervous system decision.” “Foreign Agent” is the first single from their new album Losey, out September 4 via Rocket Recordings, and it’s the album’s opening track.
Almost everything on Losey was recorded without leaving the house, with drums tracked remotely by their old bandmate Pasha back in Perm. That enforced domestic intimacy comes through in the track: “Foreign Agent” creeps in on a buzzing nest of keys and vocal haze, slow and cocooned, before the mood shifts midway and a guitar growl thickens everything. The structure is Stereolab-style motorik pushed through a psychedelic prism, building until it tips over into something overwhelming. The band have a neat way of framing what they’re doing: “Rave as therapy. Pop as resistance. Love as endurance. ADHD as a production technique.” All four of those are audible here. What I find striking is how the track manages to feel both claustrophobic and liberating at the same time, which is probably the point given where it came from.
Influences on Losey range from Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles farm-based solitude to Chris & Cosey, Bulgakov and Joy Division. Masha’s summary of the album: “This is for weirdos, romantics and anyone burned out with the world.” Losey follows their 2023 album Ax Ox and is their sixth release on Rocket Recordings.
