Publicist UK - "Forgive Yourself" (2015)

Never in my life did I think that Post-Punk and Synth-Pop would make some comeback.  To me, that music sounded like it only belongs to the 80's.  And that's there's no way of bringing back this style without making it look like a parody.  Of course during high school, a lot of 80's music was making a comeback.  You had KROQ's Flashback Fridays w/ Richard Blake and Y107 playing Depeche Mode.  And 95.5 KLOS blasting some Motley Crue.  It was around the early 00's when we started seeing bands like The Killers and The Bravery bringing back Synth-Pop to a contemporary crowd.  Couldn't really get into them, but the ones I really enjoyed were She Wants Revenge and Interpol. I've always enjoyed more of the likes of Joy Division and Swans.  Something about them gave a really moody vibe and I end up really digging.  Later we would see a few metal bands incorporating Post-Punk to the sound, like Lifelover and Justin Broadrick's Jesu.  But never heard anything that Publicist UK have done.  Bring a heavy sound to Post-Punk.  This is a band that was formed not to long ago by Dave Witte, Zachary Lipez, Brett Bamberger, and David Obuchowski.  And just hearing a bunch of metalheads playing Post-Punk is amazing.

Publicist UK's debut album, "Forgive Yourself", is definitely a album that has a flashback sound, but can really be fresh to new listeners.  When the vocals starts coming in on "Cowards", you just get a Ian Curtis vibe.  "Levitate the Pentagon" was the song that got me hooked.  The chorus is very enjoyable.  This is a perfect example of how mesh post-punk and metal together.  The lyrics sound very depressing.  I believe the Sludgelord described it really well on their review.  But if you want to know how Publicist UK sound, I recommend check out this track.  "I Wish You'd Never Gone To School" is another favorite of mines.  Loved the tone on the guitar on this one.  The female vocals on "Telegraphing" is also a great touch.  It really makes things feel comforting.  I'm not sure, but I'm sure I heard some double kicks on "Away".  All I know it sounded really bad arse, along with that tremolo picking.

If you're a fan of the members other bands, not sure if you'll enjoy "Forgive Yourself".  But if you're very familiar with Post-Punk and are a fan, then you'll really love Publicist UK.  Not sure how dedicated they'll be with Publicist UK, but I really hope to hear more.  'Forgive Yourself" is one hell of a introduction to a new band/supergroup.  And Zach's vocals bring back a sound that I din't think I would hear again.  This was a fun record.  Very enjoyable.  And I would really love to see this band live.  So if this sounds like your cup of tea, then I hope you'll go out and check it out.  They really have a awesome heavy, flashback sound.

I rate this "5 Hitlers Punched in the Face"

You can purchase "Forgive Yourself" at Bandcamp:

https://publicistuk.bandcamp.com/album/forgive-yourself