HIRAKI

Stumbling Through The Walls NEFARIOUS INDUSTRIES

Denmark’s post-punk nihilists put their own spin on the apocalypse

There are moments on Hiraki’s second full-length where you’d swear you’d stumbled upon a long-lost post-punk album from the 80s. The apocalyptic and industrialised throb of Killing Joke, early Swans or even Christian Death is so prevalent on Mirror Stalker

that it’s hard to ignore. But modern artists have been successfully mining this well for a few years now, and Uniform’s hardcore update springs to mind when you hear a song like Wonderhunt. What sets Hiraki apart are their more quietly unsettling moments, such as when Rikke Fink adds her whispered vocals to the experimental, sci-fi nightmare of album highlight, New Standards.

Being influenced by the past to such an extent is really no problem when you put such a fascinating spin on it as Hiraki have done here. ■■■■■■■■■■

FOR FANS OF: Uniform, Daughters, Jesu

STEPHEN HILL