So, what’s happening in Europe these days? No idea? Me neither but while my curiosity was wandering that way, I heard the sound of four minstrels from Strasbourg who, with synergistic sugary vocals, were keeping the needle in the retro grove with commendable accuracy. Those minstrels were called Hermetic Delight and their debut album is called “F.A. Cult”.
All fine and well, you might say, and no one would deny that this is an album that is both easy on the ear and infused with the retro vibe so why would you click on the Buy It Now button? I shall tell you. As this album progresses, the sugar decays and is replaced by an altogether more acidic, and subtly sequenced, stylistic approach that weaves the entrancing voice of Zeynep Kaya into a mishmash of reverb, splashy guitars and swirling synths as if the arthouse had called out in a dream and drew this band right inside the post-midnight urban diorama. With everything duly looped and squared, the ghosts of the city soon start to dance to their tune and, with strobe lit atmospherics, “Hermetic Delight” becomes a soundtrack that resonates inside and outside your head at the same time.
It’s not often that I conclude that an album gets better when wrapped in plastic but that was indeed the case with “F.A. Cult”.
Best song? The swirling machine meets the city groove that is “A Void”.
The verdict? An album that leads you to the water and makes you drink.
Available from Bandcamp.