Nation of Language - Introduction, Presence (2020)

Nation of Language - Introduction, Presence

Nation of Language may pull their inspiration from the hip and trendy new wave/synth-pop of the 1980s, but much like the best artists of that era, they twist and manipulate that sound into their own. While the band undeniably has more in common with OMD and New Order than most of their peers, Introduction/Presence plays as more than hero-worship. It's in playing the genre straight, that they find a surprising amount of new ground to work with. Eschewing nostalgia and pretense, Nation of Language deliver a debut that contributes just as much to its influences as it borrows, an unsung feat.

~8.5

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