★★★★

Sydney four-piece Den wield a significant sonic clout on their self-titled debut EP – a pummelling barrage of modulated guitars and sinister synth replete with melody that brings nuance to the bruising assault.

‘Life In Chains’ opens with a militant drum beat and from sparse beginnings builds to grandiosity, with haunting keys and swirling synth surrounding the domineering vocals. ‘Poltergeist’ is dark and menacing in demeanour, with buzzsaw guitars jarring against cathedral-like keys.

The oddball ’80s computer keyboard sounds on ‘Inter-view’ could easily have appeared in a Devo number, but the stark, spiky guitar riffs and unsettling organ maintain the band’s malevolent character. ‘Inertia’ is a slithering sneer of a song, unrelenting bass forming a rhythmic foundation that offsets the despondent and bitter vocals. The EP closes with ‘In The Stare’, a rampant punk attack that defiantly trails off in minimalist manner with frantic keys. Den take the angst of late-’70s American synth punk and combine it with the darker leanings of British post-punk.

At times there are striking similarities to their contemporaries of the same ilk (Total Control, Low Life), but these are fleeting flavours that by no means define or detract from the appeal of Den’s debut.

Den’s self-titledDenis available now throughRice Is Nice.

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