When it comes to post-punk in 2015, recapturing the essence of it is hard. Unlike classic rock, or any of the myriad of sounds that have been regurgitated so plainly, in so many ways, and so many times, that finding new angles hard. Music fans get excited by bands like Interpol or Iceage because it’s a style that hasn’t been beaten to the point of ad nauseam, yet they still remain but slight distillations of the idea. Maybe that’s a roundabout way of saying that they don’t go as ’80s as most of us are ready for them to.
Based on the full stream of their newest record The Woods of Heaven, Cleveland-based Pleasure Leftists seem to have the difficulty of reproduction with a slightly off-kilter and super aggressive take on the genre. Track for track, The Woods of Heaven is lined with extremely powerful vocal performances, fast-paced drumming, and some highly kinetic guitar riffs that would make Robert Smith clap like a proud parent. The album will certainly have you yearning to dance and wear all black again (that’s if you ever stopped).
The Woods of Heaven is streaming below and is out August 21 on Deranged.
