Occupying that increasingly murky territory between indie and electro, Australian trio PVT return with their third record Church With No Magic seemingly hell-bent on keeping the boundaries between those genres as blurred as possible. Essentially a tale of two halves, the ten track album is a flawed piece of work with absolutely stunning highs which are ultimately marred by the ambient, directionless noodling of other tunes.
Let's start with the positives though. Title track 'Church With No Magic' is a delightfully dark and moody neo-gothic rock song that features vocals in the vein of the mighty Jon Spencer. The hook heavy 'Window' is another belter and the percussive, '80s-inspired sounds are a winning combination. Sadly the same can't be said for the meandering 'Waves And Radiation' or the snooze-fest that is 'Timeless', and the band's inner struggle with their identity has hampered what might have been a great record. If PVT can reconcile within themselves what type of band they want to be, then the sky's the limit. For now it seems we'll have to settle for flashes of genius.