LA NUIT JE MENS Vinyl & CDs

Review: A to-the-T emulation of a classic coldwave/post-punk sound is heard on this debut album by La Nuit Je Mens, a duo split between the Parisian suburbs and southern Italy. Now based in Rome, the pair have come up with a proper synthoid slammer, commandeering a fleet of analogue machines, each member in their own independent wheelhouse. Both artists take up vocals, exploring such tragicomic themes as the slow decline of the clubbing scene and clandestine goings-on in the nostal-chic European underground scene, marking out a sordid subconscious below ostensibly blank progressions. Huge degrees of texture, harmonic range and dynamism are packed into these otherwise rawly armed recordings, with 'Posterite Du Soleil' in particular fitting an immensity of new wave gothic romance into a narrow four-instrument limitation.