I’ve enjoyed the work of 80s synth revivalists Nation of Language before: in particular their debut, Introduction, Presence, which very nearly made this List in 2020. But on album #3 they’ve gone absolutely supernova. Kicking off with one of my favourite tracks of the year, the utterly compelling ‘Weak in Your Light’, Strange Disciple is jammed full of catchy, minimal electro pop gems, all of which are instant classics. Nation of Language aren’t coy about their 80s influences, but they are also operating well beyond nostalgia. In fact, I prefer this record to anything by the New Romantic artists that it builds upon. Beyond ‘Weak in Your Light’ – which, to reiterate, is just chef’s kiss – other highlights are the guitar-propelled ‘Surely I Can’t Wait’ and the frenetic ‘Stumbling Still’. But every song here is an absolute winner. Strange Disciple’s hooks are predominantly to be found in Aidan Noell’s flawless work on the keyboards (catchy but somehow always off-centre), but it is singer Ian Devaney’s astounding voice that really takes the record to the next level. The fact that Devaney can perfectly replicate his vocal performance on this record live (as demonstrated by a wonderful show in Bristol in September, which I was fortunate enough to be at) is a great bonus. Quality inhabits every sinew of Strange Disciple, and despite having liked some of Nation of Language’s stuff before, it’s fair to say that this level of excellence was unexpected. What a nice surprise.
The first of two utterly essential records on The List 2023.