Holygram ‘Modern Cults’ Review: German act conjures classic post-punk and new wave on début full-length release.

★★★★

The musical ghosts of the 80s remain forever in our midst, with new bands drawing upon the sounds of 80’s goth, new wave and post-punk to both interesting and less-interesting results. But German newcomers Holygram have expertly seized on the best elements of those sub-genres to bewitching effect on their début release Modern Cults (out Nov 9th via Cleopatra Records).

The album, produced by Maurizio Baggio, has a massive widescreen sound that brings the band’s goth melodrama to inspired heights, kicking off with the white noise instrumental Into The Void and the title track, its driving bass and stormy soundscapes bringing to mind Pornography era Cure, while vocalist Patrick Blümel’s sonorous baritone sounds like the unholy hybrid of Interpol’s Paul Banks, Joy Division’s Ian Curtis and Echo and the Bunnymen’s Ian McCullough.

Other tracks offer more light and shade: A Faction recalls more uptempo New Wave with a diffuse shoegaze makeover, while the darkwave-driven Signals recalls classic Depeche Mode.

Atmospherics are the album’s stock in trade, giving vibrant life to the uplift of punchier numbers like Hideaway and Still There, and the dark anthem She’s Like The Sun.

The band save the best for last with 1997, a chill-inducing slow burn epic of pulsing electronics, chiming guitar and hypnotic bass. In many ways it recalls Joy Division’s Isolation, even including the line “look away in silence” as the tracks ebbs to a close.

Modern Cults is a striking début that sounds both timeless and contemporary and should be a must-listen for fans of 80s alternative and modern indie and put Holygram on the musical map for years to come.

Click here to pre-order Modern Cults on Bandcamp