Cold Cave’s new album Love Comes Close would have found the perfect home somewhere in the early 1980’s with a “Cure Kid” moodily sulking in their parent’s basement.  The droning dark feedback and gloomy tone drips with that undeniably 80’s industrial synth-pop that most either love or hate.

Frontman and ring leader Wesley Eisold, who is as weird as the Love Comes Close album cover refuses to do phone interviews because he feels that he’s a “horrid talker.” That might be the case, but he’s got this whole synth-pop vocal thing down pat. While some of the tracks, including opener “Cleb and Me” might scare away some uninitiated listeners with the spookily constructed moody landscapes; tunes like “Love Comes Close” and “Heaven Was Full” are perfect examples of easily accessible songs for the genre. ”Life Magazine,” my favorite track from this album, is instantly likable with a pulsating, catchy hook that lingers in your head all day.  Overall the album is well thought out, intelligent and technically sound.

However, Love isn’t for everyone. It’s moody, dark and as cold as metal, but take a trip into this wild new wave freakout and you can at least say that Wesley and Cold Cave gave it their best shot–even though they were 20 years too late. Cold Cave will be embarking on a West Cost tour to promote Love Comes Close which is out Nov 3rd via Matador.

Download “Life Magazine”

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Album Review