Patrick Kelleher and His Cold Dead Hands – Golden Syrup

This Dublin-based quintet have forged an industrial-tinged synthpop that brings to mind Robert Rental or early Depeche Mode. Despite the unmistakeable stamp of these influences, Kelleher’s songs have an endearing catchiness and immediacy, giving Golden Syrup a poppy-yet-melancholy character. Seen Me Blue layers echoing synth chords atop one another to create a weirdly uncanny atmosphere; the band’s obvious reverence for their early-80s forebears can feel somewhat unnerving.

Elsewhere, the melodic exuberance is toned down: on tracks like Broken Up Now, sparse drum patterns and simple basslines underpin murmured vocals, with the overall sound recalling New Order’s more introspective and mournful moments. While Kelleher’s impressive songwriting abilities are evident throughout Golden Syrup, its total absorption within the aesthetics of a specific era can become tiring; an emphasis on authenticity is no bad thing, but the sense remains that this is a record in thrall to the past, rather than in dialogue. [Sam Wiseman]