Pletyka Kedves Kis Gonoszságok 12″
Debut vinyl release from this Hungarian trio, following a demo cassette that they released three years ago. PLETYKA, which translates as “gossip” in English, plays synth-y post-punk. I was tempted to throw in “brooding,” since that’s the typical descriptor you find attached to stuff like this—it probably didn’t help that Kedves Kis Gonoszságok translates to something like “dear little evils”—but PLETYKA isn’t really your typical post-punk band. They may use analog synths to provide a layer of gloom to the five tracks that make up this record, but that layer just ends up serving as a tether to vocals that might otherwise float away. At least two voices sing in unison and somehow manage to strike a balance between melodic and ambient, harmonic and dissonant, sweet and gently melancholic. At times it reminds me of the Australian act TERRY at their gentlest, or when the synth lines get a little more primitive, the great Flemish act VITA NOCTIS. Really excellent record!