июльские дни (JULY DAYS)

 

Июльские дни (JULY DAYS) have made appearances here before, I just need to remind you that there is more. If this were dressed up right (and if we're honest, from North America or Western Europe), there's no reason why you wouldn't be talking about июльские дни  the way people talk about INTERPOL or ICE AGE or even BLOC PARTY - we're talking indie/dark wave/goth of that caliber. And to be clear, I celebrate records from all three of those bands.....or maybe I should say: all four of those bands. Because I just added this Russian outfit to the list. 

КОЛОКОЛ

Июльские дни

Another dose of devastatingly sharp synth driven cold punk from Russia. Июльские дни graced these pages with 2014's Темные мысли, but their sound seems to come even more into focus with each subsequent release. Guitars swim in a sea of synths throughout, paving the way for direct leads that, in turn, set the stage for a barking croon that teleports all of the magic on '80s East European post punk into a new sonic vessel. The second track "Орфей" ("Orpheus") is ripped out of the montage scene of an '80s brat pack flick, and literally every one of these six tracks deserves to be a hit - including their adaptation of the Soviet band Кино's "Твой номер," which was a hit in its own right. Get ready for a deep dive. 

Китеж

Июльские дни

Absolutely killer dark indie/punk from Russia, Июльские дни (JULY DAYS) attack with deadly precision. Take elements of late '80s Polish punk that flirted with new wave (REPUBLICA, the SIEKIERA full length) and somehow fit it into the small handful of mid '00s indie bands that did it right (guilty pleasures like INTERPOL, FRANZ FERDINAND, even bits of BLOC PARTY), and then put it all in the hands of punks. The results are before you...and the results are astounding. These tracks are severe and bleak, but they are sheer bliss.  Really killer stuff coming out of Russia these days, and I'm sure I don't even know a fraction of it.

Темные мысли // DARK THOUGHTS