Fifidroki - Figura Dziks [Gusstaff Records]

Scheduled for release via the ever active Polish label Gusstaff Records on February 9th, 2k24 is "Figura Dziks", the latest album outing by Fifidroki which is described in the accompanying press sheet as "...a wild Folk album with a touch of New Wave and PostPunk..." which sounds pretty promising. Over the course of roughly 50 minutes and a total of fifteen new pieces Fifidroki, in parts joined by saxophone player Alek Korecki, start their musical journey with the almost festive, yearning and melancholia-inducing female vocals of "Trabka" backed by muscular ancient drums and dirty, ever meandering electric guitars followed by the straightforward PostPunk-infused dancefloor approach of "Tramwaj", accompanied by theatrical sequences, an unexpected sax breakdown and echoes of echoes of what uninitiated Westerners might interpret as communist / socialist propaganda songs in parts as well as elements of FreeJazz x Improv for an additional sonic layer. With these two tracks providing a layout for things to come Fifidroki further embark on a trip into deeper emotional territories with "Matula", one of the tunes probably heavily influenced by the Silesian Folk music the band cites as one of their influences even though this specific song offers surprisingly heavy Rock leaning riffs in its second half whereas "Figura Dziks II" pairs fever'ish arrangements with kinda 80s referencing saxophone vibes, "Czarna Rola" caters quite a captivating Rock x Folk fusion, "Skowronek" brings forth more of the groups powerful Rock sound which, in this case, would defo be able to turn large scale festival crowds into moshpits with relative ease whereas "Ruta" fuses its thundering attitude with thrilling vocal harmonies and "Nowa Aleksandria" rounds things out on a highly ethereal tip for a closing. Quite a powerful ride this album is.