AFTER four years of releasing a multitude of singles and EPs to critical acclaim, Glaswegian post-punk aficionados Holyesque have arrested the long wait with the release of their debut album ‘At Hope’s Ravine’; a fervent, abrasive album clad in a highly emotional, caustic sheen.

The album, produced by Swedish and Danish Grammy award winner John Schumman (Kashmir/Mew) in Copenhagen, speaks of diverse themes of belonging, religion, grief and escapism, alongside nods to such acts as Echo and The Bunnymen, Interpol and The Walkmen.

Album opener Prism is a pulsating hymn hiding behind the dark curtain of a haunting, shimmering wall of scything guitars, backed by frontman Pat Hynes’s trademark vocal quiver, while the stirring ‘Rose’ casts an aural search light of hope against the fogs of pain and uncertainty.

Following up is the infectious, synth driven ‘Hexx’, perfectly encapsulating the band’s distinctively raw, visceral sound, whereas Covenant (111) allows a pause for breath amidst a woozy, apostolic ambiance.

Album highlight ‘Silences’ delivers a turbulent slice of anthemic indie joy, as Hynes’s primal scream demands “Worse than all this precious pain” against feverish, industrial guitars and Ralph McClure’s pounding drums, whilst ‘Strange’ continuous the tempestuous, intense tempo to positive effect.

The bleak, haunting lament ‘Dollhouse’ (about the tragic story of a prostitute) allows for morbid reflection, while ‘Tear’ showcases a maturity and purpose that sees them swagger triumphantly into full stadium rock territory, as Hynes broods about blood spattered walls and rose-grappling angels.

‘St’ cajoles us once more with menacing synths and coarse textures that dip and appear to mesmeric effect, before title track ‘At Hopes Ravine’ brings the album to an end in a searing, compelling climax.

With At Hopes Ravine, Holyesque serve up their true credentials as a band, with a sound that consolidates both their status as architects of hymnal, brusque anthems and consummate professionals in the ability to cloak deeply expressive, heartfelt emotion within angular, distorted, but ultimately accessible, post-punk indie pop.