DRAWING influence from post punk pioneers ranging from provocative acts such as The Birthday Party and Bauhaus to more chart bothering fare such as Echo And The Bunnymen, Nite Fields are a prospect that have entranced the music industry since their debut single in 2012. Veering between a dream pop aesthetic and something altogether more sinister, the Australian quartet’s debut LP is an accomplished record both steeped in musical tradition and teeming with originality.

The atmospheric nature of album opener  ‘Depersonalised’ allows the listener to descend into the record, its tone somewhat established by its hypnotic synth line and sparse yet arresting percussion.

Beginning with a riff that recalls The Cure at their most melancholic and introspective, ‘Fill The Void’ is a slow and brooding track that is in stark contrast to the immediacy that preceded it. Morphing into a lethagic swirl of layered guitars and splashing cymbals, it brings shades of Slowdive’s legendary Souvlaki‘ into the fray whilst evoking a more sinister tone.

One of the songs that led to the industry’s adoration of the Australian upstarts,  the pulse raising new wave of ‘You I Never Knew’ follows.  Setting off with a harmonious intro before the bass line and drums work in tandem to assault the listener with something altogether more cohesive, it is one of the finest tracks of recent years in terms of foraying into a genres storied past and asserting a new perspective upon it.

The despair and anguish soon return upon ‘Come Down’, which is buoyed by angular and disordant guitar and impactful drum work.

Throughout the relatively minuet ‘Pay For Strangers’, the band summon the spirit of ambient music, with its melody and dense reverberation conjuring shades of Brian Eno, Aphex Twin and Squarepusher at their most idyllic; whilst maintaining a notion of looming menace.

‘Prescription’ and it’s central riff is reminiscent of Johnny Marr’s complex arpeggios and heralded playing style during The Smiths inception and heyday: whilst frontman Danny Venzin’s cathartic baritone provides a distinctive tinge. In terms of its rhythm section, ‘Prescription’ sees the manifestation of a krautrock influence, featuring a motorik beat that highlights it as one of their most accomplished works to dates.

‘Like A Drone’s’ subversive take on a classic ballad and its use of both masculine and feminine vocal work provides yet another  interesting element to their repertoire, demonstrative of their ability to inflect a gentler texture upon their music and provide the listener with a hint of respite from the harrowing nature of the record.

The album’s final coda takes the form of ‘Winter’s Gone’, a sprawling seven minute composition that is simultaneously  blissful and forlorn. The hazy and intangible nature of the track provides suitable closure to the album, with Venzin’s vocals as cathartic as ever.

An excellent debut that finds itself itself straying between a number of genres and stylistic ideals with ample proficiency and unrelenting originality, Depersonalisation is an album for eclectics and those willing to let themselves be engulfed by Nite Fields’ immersive sound.