PVA – Blush (2022) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

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PVA – Blush (2022) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

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At first glance, PVA are a rather classic trio: synth, guitar, drums, a girl and a boy (Ella Harris and Josh Baxter) sharing the microphone. The Londoners made their mark in 2019 with ‘Divine Intervention’, a single that offered an updated take on new wave and caught the ear of Ninja Tune. The prestigious English label gave the group complete freedom for their 2020 EP, Toner, released on the label’s Big Dada imprint and carried by lead track ‘Talks’ which was splendidly remixed (twice) by Mura Masa. With this first album, BLUSH, PVA have the opportunity to clarify an identity that currently floats somewhere between post-punk, acid house and industrial, but is clearly nostalgic for the 80s and 90s.

The record certainly confirms the inclination towards the 80s and 90s through its new wave passages (‘Bad Dad’), Prodigy-like atmospheres (‘Untethered’, ‘The Individual’) and nods to Miss Kittin (‘Hero’). It’s also not surprising to learn that ‘Bunker’ was one of PVA’s first songs as a band. The rolling bass, the acid gimmicks, the dark vocals, the heavy drums; it’s all there, forming a wave that's hard to contain when played live. Elsewhere, the hyperpop finale ‘Soap’ signals an interesting direction for the band who clearly have plenty left in the locker. Audacity at its finest! © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz