BAGDAD - They Don’t Know
The Polish alt-rock newcomers find an enthralling balance between '90s grunge anthems and modern post-rock and slowcore on their debut EP.
Meet Bagdad, a Polish alt-rock band whose first EP, They Don’t Know, is set to release at the end of March on the independent US label Rite Field Records. Formed by school friends in 2023, Bagdad crafts music that weaves introspective calm with explosive surges of sonic intensity.
The EP kicks off with the lead single, “Valley of Dry Bones”, steeped in bleak melancholy, accented by droning guitar riffs. Franciszek Drobiński’s vocals sound weary and strained, perfectly in line with the genre’s finest norms. The track encapsulates both suffocating tension and liberating catharsis in equal measure.
They Don’t Know continues to build on this momentum across its subsequent tracks. In “Somewhere, Nowhere”, shimmering basslines almost completely eclipse the vocalist’s presence, while the stunning “Knight Errant Block” begins as the most serene and restrained piece on the record — until the song blows up in its last minute, trading Drobiński’s plaintive moans for impassioned screams.
A depressive undertone permeates the release, culminating in the epic seven-minute closer, “Heartland”. Its contemplative, detached, and expansive nature renders the length of the song nearly imperceptible by modern standards.
With They Don’t Know, Bagdad place themselves not as timid newcomers picking up guitars for the first time but as a group with something profound to declare. Their debut EP stands as a worthy peer to the cherished releases of the genre’s pioneers. While paying homage to 90s grunge legends like Nirvana, Bagdad forges ahead, masterfully blending echoes of slowcore, post-rock, and post-punk into their sound. This is a stark, unflinching release—cold and distant, much like the winters of Eastern Europe.
7.2/10