Nation of Language’s vision of the New Wave aesthetic feels seamlessly natural, a continuation of 1980’s synthpop instead of just an experiment in nostalgia. The band has an advantage of hindsight that their musical inspirations did not, a position that allows Nation of Language to freely experiment in the nuanced area between New Wave and post-punk. Yet, the real delight that sets apart this group are Ian Devaney’s vocals. Devaney’s wistful crooning comes with a romantic dark side that cannot be ignored. Check out Nation of Language at Elsewhere (Zone One), 02.06. —Amanda Ogea
