Discovery: Victories at Sea - Dive

Victories at Sea sound like White Lies on 80s Haçienda LSD. The three-piece from Birmingham have been causing a wave of excitement across the British isles with their debut EP In Memory Of released in July. My pick from their debut has to be the synth pop thriller "Dive". With its forceful opening statement, "Dive" energizes the listener, taking them back to 80s post-punk - a la Echo & The Bunyman and Pretty Hate Machine era Nine Inch Nails.

Mixing these 80s genres can be difficult for modern artists, as they often fall under the scrutiny of music press for sounding too vague, too postmodern. Well Victories at Sea can't be mistaken for The XX, or M83. Their sound is distinctive with loud synthesizers and electronic beats good enough to fool the live percussionist into disbelief. Expect more to come from Victories at Sea, their debut album is only a matter of time away.

~Eddie