Photo by Celeste Burdon

Poland has been one of the most storied, mystical destinations within the eastern European landscape. Maybe it’s the region’s steeped folklore traditions, its superstitious spirituality, the fact it has managed to survive rising and falling empires, Communist regimes, how it won over David Lynch’s artistic fascination with it, or a combination of all of these things. For whatever reason, Poland remains there on the map to inhabit this mystery.

pôt-pot are not Polish, but rather an Irish-Portuguese post-punk band with a psychedelic energy running through their circuitry. It’s also what leads them to “WRSW” on the lead single off their debut album, Warsaw 480km. Informed by vocalist Mark Waldron-Hyden’s own grief journey involving collecting and transporting his father’s ashes juxtaposed inside a fancy car whose driver has his own story of venturing from Ireland to Poland in the dead of night, the pseudo title track sees the destination as something of a mile marker to the other side. Over rhythmic motorik with interference from strangely spoken harmonies, tremolo guitars and phosphorescent radiation, the listen has a way of blurring physical and supernatural realms from the blacktop. “How / Can we get there / Can we get there?”, vocalist Mark Waldron-Hyden asks repeatedly. In that moment, at least knowing there’s an end destination offers a sense of peace in an unsettled mind.

pôt-pot Warsaw 480km will be released September 19th on Felte Music.