The Ninth Wave – FLESCH EP

FLESCH is the new EP from Glasgow goth glam quartet The Ninth Wave, and a widescreen statement of intent that sees them shed their early alt-rock crunch for swooping synths and cavernous drums.

With its grandiose tub thumping and glamorous vocal swoops, there are nods to both Suede and Depeche Mode on the ponderously titled but explosive opener A Wave Goodbye to the People Who Said I’d Win. It’s a track that the band have described as a turning point in their style and a touchstone for the music that was to be written after and if that’s the case, it seems they're setting a course for the big time.

Preening frontman Haydn Park-Patterson has a bit of Bono in his love of grand gestures and big themes and now his group’s music has been buffed and burnished to reflect the scale of their ambition.

The vaguely religiously inspired Reformation, with its 'I wish that you could reform me' refrain and neatly dovetailing vocals from bassist Millie Kidd make it the most intriguing musical moment on the EP, while Sometimes the Silence is Sweeter channels the same vein of post-punk as Simple Minds.

Some of the group’s quirkier early impulses have been sanded off to make way for songs like the driving New Kind of Ego, and the relentless desire to operate on a grand scale might get wearing over a full album, but this is an ambitious release from a band that keep pushing forward.

Listen to: A Wave Goodbye to the People Who Said I’d Win