Reaching back into the 80s for a hit of nostalgia while also punching above their weight alongside contemporaries such as High Vis and DITZ, German quartet TV Cult return for their second LP Industry, an eclectic and electric mix of punk attitude and deep sonic exploration. While TV Cult are still a newer act on the circuit, Industry cements them as one of Europe’s most exciting young bands.
Opening track ‘Communion’ introduces TV Cult with a confident yet melancholy post-punk stomp, taking inspiration from the genre’s greats without sounding like a cheesy 80s cover band. With vocals that range from a hoarse shout to a deep growl over a bedrock of airy, reverb-fuelled guitars and a driving rhythm section, ‘Communion’ makes clear nods at acts like Killing Joke and Echo & The Bunnymen but with a clear, biting modern edge. Whereas many newer post-punk acts seem to shun the genre’s history in favour of chasing trends, TV Cult embrace both the pioneers of post-punk and its modern revival.
Without straying too far from their mix of vintage and modern influences, TV Cult manage to deliver a surprisingly eclectic and wide-ranging album, exploring everything from New Order style synths to Thursday inspired emo beats. Tracks such as ‘Crack The Whip’ lean heavily into atmospheric, retro synths, tenderly intertwining with glassy clean guitars to create a unique backdrop for the screamed vocals whereas songs like ‘Moonflower’ and ‘Overpressure’ keep the cleaner guitars and harsh vocals but up the pace and tension for an early 2000s emo feel. While it would’ve been easy for TV Cult to simply recreate the sounds of their 80s heroes and take a spot on some lucrative nostalgia tour, folding in a healthy dose of modern alternative keeps Industry sounding fresh and exciting throughout.
“Whereas many newer post-punk acts seem to shun the genre’s history in favour of chasing trends, TV Cult embrace both the pioneers of post-punk and its modern revival.”
TV Cult keep their sophomore album tight, rarely going over four minutes on any of the album’s ten tracks, closer ‘Symbols Of Death’ takes the album’s ambitious concept and lets the German quartet go wild with it. Building up around a soft analogue synth, ‘Symbols Of Death’ steadily ramps up the tension with repeated, shouted vocal lines and gradual layers of overdriven guitars, intermittently lashing out with stabs of percussion before fading out the instruments for a final cathartic scream of “Resting in power”. While the rest of the album is impressively far-reaching, this final track takes all of the sonic tricks TV Cult have shown off so far and bring them together into a moving and eclectic finale, paying equal homage to the post-punk pioneers of the 80s and the emocore originators of the early 90s.
Refusing to let themselves languish as a nostalgia act simply because of their retro inspirations, German quartet TV Cult reinvent the sounds of their 80s post-punk heroes for a new generation. Drawing equally from post-punk’s origins and its modern revival, the band’s second album Industry gives the genre a much needed jolt of vintage adrenaline.