This band from Sweden plays an alluring blend of post-punk that is dark enough to appeal to the goth side of the genre while not relinquishing the punk drive. There are even reverbed-out surf rock guitar tones to the first song. The bass takes a more dominant thump to groove the dystopian "Living in a Nuclear Town". The cold-war pulp mood of Beastmilk's thematic lyrics holds common ground with this band. A keyboardist who is a working part of the band gives them a new wave edge that helps set them apart from most of the other post-punk revival bands.
The baritone croon of their vocalist carries an anxious quiver to it that keeps him from being another Ian Curtis impersonator. The guitar creates a spacious tension, allowing his melodies to work unhindered or feel rushed. When they back off and go further into the brooding darkness that possesses "End of the Line" there is more of a Cold Cave feel, but this does not play to their strength as a band as well. It's not a bad song as it captures the intended mood well, they just take a step too far in the dark wave direction which is not their forte, as more guitar songs work better for them. This is illustrated in " Circular Madness" which finds a better balance of sonic at play. It allows them to head in a darker direction while still keeping guitars at the forefront.
"Leeches" takes on an upbeat "Lust for Life" skip in its step. The bass has a place to shine here, and the vocals take more of a back seat in the mix. Things do slow in places to allow for a dynamic ebb and flow. There is a harrowing creepiness that takes over "Radio Dark". This finds the darkness creating a heavier sonic mood. Three minutes in they begin to jam things about with a more intense rock feel. This winds around to a more syncopated post-punk hop. Overall this is a great album from a new band that brings something new to the familiar genre tropes and basks them in a Cold War paranoia. I will give this album a 9.5, pretty close to perfect, and highly recommended to fans of post-punk. It is being released May 10th on Svart Records.
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