Villains of the Moon – Cold Cave Villains of the Moon – Cold Cave (Free Download / Buy)

Synthpop can only take you so far. At a certain point, bands that base themselves on the dark pop roots of The Human League and New Order have to decide whether to evolve into something new, something challenging, or go the way of The Killers and become a full fledged pop band. For Cold Cave (@coldcave23), who released a debut three years ago laced with Human League darkness, their new foray into something stranger is a welcome evolution.

The perky dancability of Love Comes Close is still present in Cold Cave’s sophomore record Cherish the Light Years, but now, it’s coupled with a punk-like abrasiveness often foreign in modern day pop. The kick off track, “The Great Pan is Dead”, is an assault that combines motor like guitars and typical electro sparkles that weave in the easy, hardcore vocals of leader Wesley Eisold. The spectacular “Icons of Summer” takes a cue from the Crystal Castles school, folding in bursts of 8-bit noise, breathing new life into a song that would otherwise sound like a New Order b-side.

Even with the album’s foray into more hardcore and abrasive sounds, it’s the melodic overtones that drive the music—the tracks may be more interesting and industrial, but the beats and sparkles are still there. The stand out track, “Underworld USA”, is a testament to the fact that a band can be dark and interesting, and still make you dance.  It has a driving, industrial beat, vocals that are easy to sing along to, a killer chorus and a lady whispering “underworld.” It’s the perfect mixture of a song that’s fun to get down to, but worth listening to for the small details and flourishes as well.

Cherish the Light Years is a record that hardcore fans and fans of The Killers can get behind. The kind of record that effortlessly fuses genres into something both palatable and interesting, a feat that is rare and difficult to achieve. It’s a record as much home in underground Berlin raves as it is at tequila fueled house parties. It’s dark, bouncy and fucking fun.